You're reading: Turkey asks Syria to locate missing journalists

ANKARA, Turkey — A senior official says Turkey has asked Syria to locate two missing Turkish journalists and ensure their safe return home.

Huseyin Celik, a spokesman for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, told reporters Monday that Turkey has had no response on the issue from Syria so far.

The journalists, Adem Ozkose, a writer for Milat newspaper and freelance cameraman Hamit Coskun, were last heard of on March 11 when they called the paper from the northern Syrian city of Idlib, a bastion of rebel support which the Syrian army took control of three days later.

Turkey’s deputy prime minister said last week the journalists were being held by Syrian forces. But Celik said there was no "confirmed" report on their whereabouts.