6. A Meeting in Muscat

Josh uncovers a hidden world of secret negotiations, backchannels, and high-level talks. And, after years of failed promises, Austin’s mother Debra decides to go to Syria herself - alone.

She believes the US government could have done more to get her son home. Josh finds the men who took part in covert talks between Washington and Damascus. Could Austin’s release have been possible? And what was Syria offered in return?

Archive: NBC; NPR; CBS; CNN; BBC; Fox; The White House.

Writer and showrunner: Josh Baker

Investigative producer: Sara Obeidat

Series producer: Simon Maybin

Field producing: Ouday Al Hussein

Additional producing: Lucy Burns

Open source intelligence: Thomas Bordeaux & Gabor Friesen

Production coordinator: Gemma Ashman

Series editor: Clare Fordham

Head of BBC News Long Form Audio: Emma Rippon

BBC Radio 4 commissioning editor: Dan Clarke

NPR producer: Monika Evstatieva

NPR editors: Robert Little & Katie Simon

NPR executive producer for Embedded: Irene Noguchi

BBC World Service commissioning editor: Jon Manel

Composer: Firas Abou Fakher

Additional music: Karim Chehoury

Theme music: Sam Slater

Mix and sound design: Tom Brignell