HispanicBusiness

Two journalists working for the US-government-funded Alhurra TV were confirmed missing in Syria by the US State Department on Tuesday.

Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said she was not able to confirm any more information about their circumstance.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) that operates the Arabic-language satellite station, Voice of America and other broadcast outlets, Monday appealed to the Syrian government for the release of the two journalists, Alhurra correspondent Bashar Fahmi and cameraman Cuneyt Unal.

They were reporting from Aleppo, Syria's most populous city, when they went missing, the BBG said. They were reportedly travelling with Japanese journalist Mika Yamamoto of Japan Press, who was killed Monday in Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The observatory said Monday that a Turkish, Lebanese and Arabic reporter working for an American news agency had disappeared as well, but it is not clear if the organization was referring to the Alhurra journalists.

The BBG said its reporters were covering the clashes between the Syrian army and rebel forces in Aleppo. A video posted on YouTube by the Free Syrian Army announced that the journalists were detained by Syrian authorities, the BBG said.

"The safety and well-being of these two journalists is of paramount concern to us, and we strongly urge Syrian authorities to ensure their safe return," said Michael Meehan, a member of the BBG Board and Chairman of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc.