3 days ago
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President Trump and the Iraqi authorities connected Tuesday announced that Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian citizen, U.S. imperishable nonmigratory and Princeton postgraduate student, was released after being held captive for over 900 days by the violent radical Khataib Hezbollah successful Iraq.
Trump said successful a Truth Social post that Tsurkov is successful the American Embassy successful Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said her merchandise was the effect of “efforts exerted by our information agencies implicit galore months.”
Tsurkov was kidnapped successful Baghdad successful March 2023 by the Iran-backed militia radical erstwhile she was successful the state for world research.
Emma Tsurkov, Elizabeth’s sister and an American citizen, said the full household is incredibly happy. She served arsenic a high-profile advocator for her sister’s release, confronting the Iraqi premier curate during an lawsuit astatine the Atlantic Council successful April 2024 and issuing a idiosyncratic entreaty to Trump’s peculiar envoy for bid missions, Steve Witkoff, during an lawsuit hosted by the American Jewish Committee successful February.
Emma Tsurkov credited Adam Boehler, Trump’s peculiar statesmanlike envoy for hostage affairs, arsenic captious to securing Elizabeth Tsurkov's release.
“We cannot hold to spot Elizabeth and springiness her each the emotion we person been waiting to stock for 903 days,” she said successful a statement.
“We are truthful thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s instrumentality his idiosyncratic mission, I bash not cognize wherever we would be. We besides privation to convey Josh Harris and his squad astatine the U.S. Embassy successful Baghdad for the enactment they provided to our sister and the squad astatine the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister's harmless return.”
Global Reach is simply a nonprofit enactment dedicated to bringing location Americans who are wrongly held abroad.
Its CEO Mickey Bergman said it is a time “we person each been waiting for” and credited U.S. involvement.
“Elizabeth is simply a Princeton postgraduate pupil – an guiltless researcher who was doing doctoral tract enactment erstwhile she was kidnapped by Khataib Hezbollah. When others were unwilling to assistance her, the US authorities stepped up, successful peculiar Special Envoy Adam Boehler and the squad astatine the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs. The Trump Administration deserves recognition for taking enactment and bringing this young pistillate location to her family.”
The Israeli embassy successful Washington, D.C., did not instantly instrumentality a petition for comment.
