US President Donald Trump announced the release of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was abducted in Baghdad about two and a half years ago.
She has been transferred to the US Embassy in the Iraqi capital, with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirming her release. Tsurkov was held for 903 days.
"My whole family is overjoyed," her sister Emma wrote. "We can't wait to see Elizabeth and shower her with the love we've been holding back for 903 days. We are deeply grateful to President Trump and his special envoy Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister's return his personal mission, I don't know where we would be today. We also want to thank Josh Harris and his team at the US Embassy in Baghdad for their support, and the staff of the nonprofit Global Reach, who worked tirelessly to bring my sister home safely."
Tsurkov, 36, was kidnapped on March 26, 2023, in Baghdad, while conducting research for her doctoral studies at Princeton University, where she specialized in Shiite militias in the Middle East. She entered Iraq using her Russian passport, as the country does not allow Israelis to enter.
She was held by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shiite militia operating in Iraq. The group was founded in 2003 by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force to fight Sunni groups and the US-led invasion, with the aim of establishing a pro-Iranian Shiite regime in Iraq. In November 2023, Tsurkov appeared in a video from captivity. In January this year, Iraq's foreign minister confirmed she was alive and said the government in Baghdad was "working for her release."
Al-Sudani declared that "following extensive efforts by the security forces over many months," he was announcing the release of what he termed a "Russian citizen," Elizabeth Tsurkov. He added: "We will not be complacent in enforcing the law, in safeguarding the state's authority, and in protecting the reputation of Iraq and its people."
