AMERİKAN NBC Televizyonunun Türkiye Temsilcisi Aziz Akyavaş ve Ortadoğu muhabiri Richard Engel, Suriyede perşembe gününden bu yana kayıp. Meslektaşları ve yakınları Suriyeden gelecek iyi haberleri bekliyor.
Savaş muhabirliğinde oldukça tecrübeli olan Aziz Akyavaşın amcasının kızı ünlü sanatçı Hümeyra da büyük endişe içinde... Hümeyra, Aziz Akyavaştan Perşembe sabahından bu yana haber alamadıklarını gözyaşları içerisinde anlattı.
KİM NE DEDİ? Aziz Akyavaşın kaybolma haberini twitterdan ilk olarak Cüneyt Özdemir duyurdu. Gazeteciler daha sonra meslektaşları için şunları söyledi: Serdar Akinan: Aziz Akyavaş benim mesleki büyüğüm, efsane kameraman Suriyede ve dört gündür kendisinden haber alınamıyormuş. İsmet Berkan: Aziz Akyavas bugune kadar neleri atlatti, bunu da atlatir eminim... Ama umarim Disisleri Başkanlığı Suriyedeki Aziz icin bir sey yapiyordur. Nurten Topaloğlu: Gazeteci Aziz Akyavaş da Bashar Kadumi gibi Suriyede kayıpmış. İnşallah tez zamanda bulunurlar.
Hümeyra  Büyük panik içerisindeyiz. Suriyeli muhaliflerin elinde olduğu yönünde haberler geliyor. NBC televizyonu ise kaybolduğunu haber yapmıyor, galiba bir pazarlık söz konusu. Sürekli Hatay valisine ve bölge milletvekillerine ulaşmaya çalışıyorum ama başaramadım. Herkesten yardım bekliyorum, kim ne yapabiliyorsa... Lütfen Azizi kurtarmamıza yardım edin dedi.
Yıl 1990. Saddam Hüseyin yönetimindeki Irak mini yüzölçümlü komşusu Kuveyti işgal etti. Bu Körfez savaşının ayak sesleriydi. ABD öncülüğündeki bir grup devletin Iraka saldırmak için hazırlık yaptığı konuşuluyordu. Bir çok gazeteci de Iraka gitmişti. ABD uçakları Bağdatı bombalamaya başladığı gece oradaki tek Türk kameraman Aziz Akyavaştı.
Türkiye ilk saldırıdan sonra yaşananları ondan dinledi. Bu Aziz Akyavaşın gördüğü tek çatışma da değildi. Aziz Akyavaşın kayıp olduğu haberini duyan meslektaşları da savaş muhabirliği tecrübesine atıf yaparak, kısa zamanda sağlıklı bir şekilde haber almayı diledi.
Video showing rocket strike near camera from a citizen journalist broadcasting live footage from Homs, Syria on February 9. At least two journalists were released after being held captive in Syria for approximately five days according to . Turkish journalist Aziz Akyavaş and  journalist  went missing on Thursday. Both work for  and were on assignment in the country.

"After being kidnapped and held for five days inside Syria by an unknown group, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his production crew members have been freed unharmed. We are pleased to report they are safely out of the country," said NBC News in a statement on their website.

Earlier , the Turkish language partner of , reported Akyavaş may have been , but they also added,  The Kuwait  reported Akyavaş may have been kidnapped, but also reported Engel was the one who announced Akyavaş was missing. 

The journalists went missing after crossing into Syria from the Turkish border. NBC News says Engel and others were tied up, blindfolded, and put in the back of a truck and driven to possibly near the Syrian town of . When they were moved to another location, the kidnappers accidentally approached a Syrian rebel checkpoint and a gunfight broke out. Two unnamed captors were killed in the attack, but Engel and others were able to escape. No one has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and no one was injured. NBC News never had contact with their captors and a ransom demand was never made. 

Little was initially known about the situation. At first, NBC didn't officially acknowledge either of the journalists were missing and according to , they website was "subject to a news blackout — one to which Gawker agreed until now — for at least the past 24 hours." 

Engel is a regular user of the social networking website Twitter and has not posted a 'Tweet' since December 6. His last official report was filed on December 11. 

In February, ''Wikinews'' reported journalists were apparently targeted in Syrian government attacks, and some of them killed. On February 9, a Syrian citizen journalist named 'Omar' was airing a live feed of the bombardment of Homs when several rockets struck near the camera's position, nearly destroying it. On February 21, a member of the Homs Media Center was killed by a rocket as Syrian forces continued their bombardment of the city for an eighteenth straight day. A day later, , a  journalist, and award winning French photographer , were killed when rockets again hit the media center. At least two others were injured in the attack, French journalist Edith Bouvier and British photographer Paul Conroy.