A Princeton University student has finally been freed after she was taken hostage by militant Hezbollah terrorists in Iraq. 

Elizabeth Tsurkov is now residing at the American Embassy in Baghdad.  

On Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump announced: ‘I am delighted to inform you that Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student and sibling to an American citizen, has been freed by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah). She is currently safe at the American Embassy in Iraq after enduring months of torture. 

‘I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!’ 

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, confirmed her release, describing it as the ‘result of rigorous efforts by our security forces over several months.

‘We emphasize, yet again, that we will not compromise on enforcing the law or the authority of the state, nor will we permit anyone to tarnish Iraq’s reputation or that of its people,’ he stated. 

Tsurkov disappeared in March 2023 while on a research trip in Baghdad. The Israeli government announced months later that she had been kidnapped by the Shiite group Kataeb Hezbollah or Hezbollah Brigades.

She had entered Iraq using her Russian passport, ‘at her own initiative pursuant to work on her doctorate and academic research on behalf of Princeton University,’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time.

Elizabeth Tsurkov is now residing at the American Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq

President Donald Trump announced her release in a post on Truth Social Tuesday

By November of that year, the terrorist group released a video featuring Tsurkov, in which the Israeli-Russian academic claimed she was a Mossad and CIA agent.

She also claimed in the hostage video that she attempted to create violence and demonstrations in Iraq, reports Israel National News. 

But Tsurkov had been an expert on regional affairs in the Middle East – and specifically in war-torn Syria.

Her work has been quoted over the years by international media, before she suddenly went silent on March 21, 2023.  

Tsurkov had also worked as a fellow at the Washington-based think tank New Lines Institute, where her colleague Hassan Hassan, editor in chief of New Lines Magazine, said he was in touch with her just days before she was kidnapped.

‘We could not believe the news, knowing what Iraq is like for any scholar or researcher in recent years,’ he said. ‘But there is hope that she will be released through negotiations.’

He added that they ‘called on the United States government to be involved in securing her release, despite her not being a U.S. national.’

Until Trump’s announcement on Tuesday, however, repeated efforts by Israeli and American officials to secure her freedom met with dead ends.

Tsurkov, whose work focuses on the Middle East, and specifically war-torn Syria, is an expert on regional affairs and has been widely quoted over the years by international media

At the same time, the Iraqi government said it was also looking for Tsurkov and was handling communication with Kataib Hezbollah. 

Days after her disappearance, a local website even reported that an Iranian citizen who was involved in her kidnapping was detained by Iraqi authorities. 

It said the woman was kidnapped from Baghdad’s central neighborhood of Karradah and that Iran’s embassy in the Iraqi capital was pressing for the man’s release and to have him deported to Iran.

Some Iraqi activists posted a copy of a passport of an Iranian man at the time, claiming that he was involved in the kidnapping.

Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite group based in Iraq, is a separate group from the Hezbollah movement, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon.

But both groups are closely linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and are listed by the US government as terrorist organizations. 

Until Trump’s announcement on Tuesday, repeated efforts by Israeli and American officials to secure her freedom met with dead ends

Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite group based in Iraq, is a separate group from the Hezbollah movement, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon

 Following the news of her release on Tuesday, Elizabeth’s sister, Emma, said her ‘family is incredibly happy’ and ‘cannot wait to see Elizabeth and give her all the love we have been waiting to share for 903 days.’

‘We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler,’ she continued. ‘If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be. 

This is a breaking news story.