Kidnapped Israeli-Russian woman returns to Israel after more than 2 years in captivity

Jerusalem, Sep 11 (IANS) Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian national kidnapped in Iraq more than two years ago, returned to Israel after being freed a day earlier, Israel's Mossad intelligence agency said.

Tsurkov, a Princeton University doctoral student, vanished in Baghdad in March 2023 while conducting field research. Israel announced four months later that she had been abducted by Kataib Hezbollah, a Shi'ite armed group with ties to Iran.

She was released on Tuesday and taken to the US embassy in Baghdad before being flown to Israel via Cyprus on Wednesday night, Mossad said. Its director, David Barnea, thanked Cypriot intelligence for helping facilitate what he called her "humanitarian transfer."

Israeli media said Tsurkov was expected to reunite with her family at Ben Gurion Airport and then undergo medical checks at Sheba Hospital near Tel Aviv. State broadcaster Kan said no prisoners were freed and no concessions made in return for her release, Xinhua news agency reported.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed her release in a post on X on Tuesday, calling it the result of "extensive efforts" by Iraqi security services and vowing not to tolerate "any compromise in enforcing the law and upholding the authority of the state."

"My entire family is incredibly happy," her sister, Emma Tsurkov, wrote on X.

In March 2023, academic researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov vanished in Baghdad while conducting fieldwork. She was last seen in the Karrada neighbourhood, after which reports emerged that the armed group Kata’ib Hezbollah had abducted her. Her disappearance remained undisclosed for several months until July 2023, when the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office publicly confirmed her abduction and held the Iraqi government accountable for ensuring her safety.

Tsurkov, 37, is a dual citizen of Israel and Russia. According to Israeli officials, she had entered Iraq using her Russian passport.

In November 2023, Iraqi state television broadcast footage showing Tsurkov claiming affiliation with both Mossad and the CIA -- statements her family strongly denied, labelling them as forced under duress.

Details surrounding the negotiations for her release have not been fully disclosed. However, earlier reports in January 2024 indicated that talks between the US and Iraqi governments were underway

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also confirmed her release, crediting months of work led by Gal Hirsch, Israel’s coordinator for captives and missing people.

“Through a team effort … after great efforts, we succeeded in bringing about her release,” Netanyahu said.

--IANS

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