Key Takeaways
- Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian researcher, was released in Iraq after months of captivity.
- Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shia militia backed by Iran, was responsible for her abduction.
- US President Donald Trump announced her release, crediting Iraqi security services for their efforts.
Baghdad: An Israeli-Russian researcher who was “being tortured for many months” by her Iraqi militia abductors in captivity, has been released, US President Donald Trump has announced.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: “I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, whose sister is an American citizen, was just released by Kataib Hezbollah, and is now safely in the American embassy in Iraq”.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed Ms Tsurkov’s release shortly afterwards, reports BBC.
Elizabeth Tsurkov went missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later confirmed she was being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia.
In a post on X, Sudani said Ms Tsurkov’s release was “a culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months”.
He added that the security services on Tuesday were able to “uncover” the place the student had been held, before handing her over to the US embassy.
Ms Tsurkov entered Iraq on her Russian passport, Netanyahu’s office said at the time.
Ms Tsurkov’s research focuses on the Levant – a historical term that refers to a large geographical region including present-day Israel, Syria and other areas – and “the Syrian uprising and civil war”.
Kataib Hezbollah (Brigades of the Party of God) is a powerful Iraqi Shia militia that gets financial and military support from Iran. It was designated by the US as a terrorist organisation in 2009.
In Tuesday’s post on Truth Social, Trump also said: “I will always fight for justice and never give up.
“Hamas, release the hostages, now!” he added, in a reference to those people seized by the Palestinian group during its deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
