Qatar working to free hostages from jihadist groups in Syria

The government of Qatar is using its close relationships with radical Islamist groups throughout the Middle East in an effort to free a number of U.S. citizens who are currently being held hostage.

The small island nation of Qatar was instrumental in the freeing of U.S. journalist Peter Theo Curtis from the custody of the jihadist group the Nusra Front. Curtis was captured by the al Qaida affiliate in 2012.

Reuters reports that Curtis' release is part of a broader effort to secure the freedom of four other U.S. citizens being held hostage by a variety of armed factions in Syria.

Reuters cites an unnamed official from the Gulf in its reporting, but says that other sources generally supported the claims that Qatar was actively working to free U.S. captives. A Syrian rebel commander interviewed by Reuters said that Qatar is constantly trying to secure the release of international hostages.

The location of the four hostages is no longer a mystery, and Qatari officials are reaching out to their captors to guarantee their safety and eventual release.

Curtis' release via Qatar intervention comes less than a week after the Islamic State posted the gruesome murder and beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley on various social media sites. The video ended with a threat to kill another U.S. citizen, Steven Sotloff, if the United States did not stop striking IS positions in Iraq.

Qatar may be hoping to deflect criticism from its foreign policy by securing the release of these hostages.

Qatar has alienated the United States as well as regional actors in the Middle East because of its support for Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. It has been accused of supporting groups much more radical than the Muslim Brotherhood as well, and is a known patron of Hamas.