People across the world have been captivated for the past eight months by the plight of the hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. As their harrowing tale continues to unfold, Jewish reporter Jake Turx is on the hunt looking for another missing Jewish man: Vugar Ben Avraham Mikhailov, a 19-year-old Jewish Azerbaijani boy who was abducted by Armenians in the Füzuli region of Karabakh 31 years ago.

Turx says he first learned of Vugar’s story 14 months ago, and “based on various sources, documents, and eyewitness accounts, I have tracked Vugar’s captivity across Karabakh – from a detention center in Seyidahmadli, to a prison in Khankendi, and a labor brigade in Shusha – areas that were controlled by separatists until recently.

“Vugar’s last observed location was the remote mountain village of Chartaz, where he was one of an unknown number of Azerbaijani captives reportedly forced into slavery. Although Azerbaijan regained control of the entire Karabakh region eight months ago, the pervasive presence of minefields, booby traps, and unexploded ordnance made it impossible to conduct a search for Vugar.”

He says that last week, he was finally given unfettered access to areas that had been previously inaccessible as he mounts “an ambitious and aggressive search for clues, information, and evidence about the whereabouts of Vugar, who turned 50 earlier this year.”

Vugar has been missing for 31 years, but his family believes he is still alive. “So next time you pray for the hostages in Gaza, please add the name of one more missing hostage: VUGAR BEN NINA,” Turx wrote.

He encouraged anyone who may have information or leads to contact him. “Our search has only just begun,” he says.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)