The liberation of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian scholar who had been abducted in Baghdad, was publicly declared on Tuesday by US President Donald Trump and Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Tsurkov was taken hostage under mysterious circumstances in March 2023. The Iraqi authorities attributed her abduction to ‘a band of renegades’, while President Trump stated that she was freed by the influential Kataeb Hezbollah group, a faction with strong ties to Iran.
The disclosure of her release came after months of relentless endeavors by the security agencies. ‘The Russian national, Elizabeth Tsurkov, has now been freed after multiple rigorous efforts were expended by our security operatives,’ declared Prime Minister Sudani. The US President, via an online statement, informed that Tsurkov was ‘recently released’ by Kataeb Hezbollah following a lengthy period of horrific mistreatment, and now infers that she is safely within the confines of the US embassy in Baghdad.
Iraq’s authority for military communication serving under the Prime Minister, Sabah al-Numan, later clarified. Following an elaborate and high-powered intelligence operation, the area of Tsurkov’s detention was successfully determined on September 9, allowing authorities to reach her. Arrangements were made to transfer Tsurkov to the US embassy. This was done to expedite her reunion with her sister, who is an American citizen.
Emma Tsurkov, the elder sister of the freed scholar, conveyed her gratitude towards President Trump, Adam Boehler – his special envoy, the US Embassy in Baghdad, and the Global Reach non-profit organization for playing integral roles in the liberation process. ‘Our family is elated beyond words. The anticipation to finally see Elizabeth, to surround her with all the love we’ve been longing to shower upon her for 903 days, is extremely overwhelming,’ she voiced.
Currently a doctoral applicant at revered Princeton University and a fellow at the esteemed New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy based in Washington, Tsurkov vanished mysteriously in Iraq in March 2023. There is a strong likelihood that Tsurkov entered Iraq using her Russian credentials, having traveled there as an attribute to her doctoral pursuits.
Tsurkov’s investigative interest lies predominantly in the Levant region. She has extensively covered Syria during its internal strife and has a significant amount of work in Iraq. Fluent in English, Russian, Hebrew, and Arabic, Tsurkov has not left any stone unturned to discover and unravel new findings and insights during her research.
Following Tsurkov’s kidnapping, Numan did not place the blame on any specific group labeling them simply as ‘outlaws’. He further asserted that the state security forces ‘will not rest until every individual involved in committing this crime is tracked, caught, and made to face legal consequences.’
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, received the news of Tsurkov’s liberation positively, making it clear that U.S. actions against diplomatic hostage scenarios were effective. ‘Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton student, has been set free less than a week following the declaration of an executive order aimed at bolstering the stance against hostage diplomacy’, noted Rubio. He commended the Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani for his continued support and cooperation and asserted, ‘This instance highlights peace achieved through strength’.
A passionate human rights advocate, Tsurkov maintained an active online presence. Her work in Baghdad was primarily focused on factions favorable to Iran and the proceedings of Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, as part of her expansive research on the region. An Iraqi intel source revealed she was abducted as she was departing from a coffee shop in Karrada, a neighborhood in Baghdad, home to the country’s capital.
The Israeli government squarely placed the blame for Tsurkov’s disappearance on Kataeb Hezbollah. However, the group itself hinted at being uninvolved, raising more questions than answers. There were no claims to her kidnapping issued by Kataeb Hezbollah in 2023, but an anonymous source within the group confirmed that Tsurkov had been released to evade any ‘potential confrontations’ with Iraq.
The same confidential source further stated that ‘she wasn’t rescued in a military operation, she was simply set free under particular conditions. The paramount condition among these was to ensure a peaceful withdrawal of US forces, thus avoiding any military confrontations or conflicts for Iraq.’
Kataeb Hezbollah, similar to several other militant teams coached by Iran during the IS (Islamic State group) conflict, was integrated into the regular security forces as part of the Hashed al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization force. Nevertheless, Kataeb Hezbollah stood out for their reputation for acting independently.
This group, along with other Iraqi factions backed by Iran, have been lobbying for the removal of US troops deployed in Iraq upon the invitation from Baghdad as a response to the anti-IS alliance. In the fallout of the Gaza war in October 2023, US forces in Iraq and neighboring Syria have been targeted recurrently by Kataeb Hezbollah and other Tehran-affiliated groups.
The US retaliated by launching heavy offensives on targets linked to Tehran, which eventually halted the attacks. It was announced by the US and Iraq that the anti-IS alliance would conclude its decade-long military mission in federal Iraq by 2025, followed by completion in the independent Kurdistan region, located in the northern part of the country, by September 2026.
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