Princeton PhD student returned to the United States
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a PhD student at Princeton University who was kidnapped in Iraq in 2023 while conducting research, has been released and handed over to American authorities, her family and Donald Trump, the President of the United States, announced on Tuesday, September 9th.
Tsurkov, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship, spent over 900 days in captivity. She disappeared in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, while researching her doctoral thesis on sectarianism in the region.
Trump stated in a message on the social network Truth Social that Tsurkov was handed over to the American embassy in Baghdad after months of torture.
He identified the kidnappers as members of the Shiite militia group Kata’ib Hezbollah, although this group has not claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Meanwhile, Tsurkov’s sister, who lives in California and had launched a campaign for her release, said in a statement that our family is extremely happy.
We can’t wait to see Elizabeth and shower her with all the love we’ve been waiting to give for 903 days. She expressed gratitude to Adam Boehler, the U.S. President’s special envoy for hostage affairs.
According to the Associated Press, two Iraqi militia officials, who did not want their names disclosed due to lack of official authorization, said Tsurkov’s release was the result of negotiations, not a military operation.
According to them, among the conditions for her release were the withdrawal of American forces stationed in Iraq and the abstention of the U.S. and Israel from conducting attacks in Iraq.
The withdrawal of American forces stationed in Iraq was agreed upon between Washington and Baghdad last year.