In brief
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, has been released after being held captive by the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq. Her safe return has been confirmed by President Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who highlighted the extensive efforts by Iraqi security services to ensure her liberation. Tsurkov had gone missing in March 2023 during her research in the region, focusing on the Levant and the Syrian conflict.
An Israeli-Russian researcher has been released after being tortured for many months by her Iraqi militia abductors, 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. She had gone missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023 - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said several months later that she was being held by the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah.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. According to Ms Tsurkov's website, her 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 organization 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 reference to those people seized by the Palestinian group during its deadly attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
