A Princeton University student has finally been freed after enduring a horrifying 903-day ordeal as a hostage of bloodthirsty Hezbollah terrorists in Iraq.
President Trump triumphantly declared Tuesday he was “pleased to report” that Elizabeth Tsurkov was now safely residing at the American Embassy in Baghdad after her nightmare captivity.
“Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton Student, whose sister is an American Citizen, was just released by Kata’ib Hezbollah (MILITANT Hezbollah), and is now safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months,” Trump wrote on Truth Social in a devastating exposé of her suffering. The news emerges as Hamas terror chiefs caught in luxury Qatar hotel summit days before deadly Israeli strike.
The President’s fury was evident as he demanded: “I will always fight for JUSTICE, and never give up. HAMAS, RELEASE THE HOSTAGES, NOW!”
Iraqi PM confirms dramatic rescue operation
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed the dramatic rescue operation, revealing it was the “culmination of extensive efforts exerted by our security services over the course of many months.”
His stern warning to terror groups sent shockwaves through militant networks: “We reaffirm, once again, that we will not tolerate any compromise in enforcing the law and upholding the authority of the state, nor will we allow anyone to undermine the reputation of Iraq and its people.”
Academic’s research trip becomes terror nightmare
Tsurkov’s academic dreams turned into a living nightmare when she disappeared in March 2023 during what should have been a routine research trip in Baghdad.
The Israeli government dropped a bombshell months later, confirming she had been brutally kidnapped by the savage Shiite group Kataeb Hezbollah – also known as the notorious Hezbollah Brigades.
The brilliant student 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 revealed at the time.
Terrorists force victim into propaganda video
By November of that year, the terrorist monsters released a sickening propaganda video featuring the traumatized Tsurkov, in which the Israeli-Russian academic was forced to claim she was a Mossad and CIA agent.
The barbaric kidnappers also made her falsely confess in the hostage video that she attempted to create violence and demonstrations in Iraq, reports Israel National News.
But the truth was far different – Tsurkov had been a respected expert on regional affairs in the Middle East, specifically focusing on war-torn Syria.
Brilliant academic suddenly vanishes
Her authoritative work had been quoted extensively by international media over the years, before she suddenly went ominously silent on March 21, 2023.
The accomplished academic had also worked as a fellow at the prestigious Washington-based think tank New Lines Institute, where her colleague Hassan Hassan, editor in chief of New Lines Magazine, revealed he was in contact with her just days before the terrorists struck.
“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 desperately added that they “called on the United States government to be involved in securing her release, despite her not being a U.S. national.”
Years of failed rescue attempts
Until Trump’s triumphant announcement on Tuesday, however, repeated efforts by Israeli and American officials to secure her freedom met with dead ends and mounting frustration.
At the same time, the Iraqi government claimed it was also searching for Tsurkov and handling communication with the terrorist group Kataib Hezbollah.
Iranian connection exposed
Days after her disappearance, explosive reports emerged that an Iranian citizen involved in her kidnapping was detained by Iraqi authorities.
Sources revealed the academic was snatched from Baghdad’s central neighborhood of Karradah, with Iran’s embassy in the Iraqi capital desperately pressing for the Iranian suspect’s release and deportation back to Tehran.
Some Iraqi activists even posted copies of an Iranian man’s passport at the time, claiming he was the kidnapping mastermind.
Terror network’s deadly connections revealed
Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite death squad based in Iraq, operates separately from the Hezbollah movement – an Iran-backed terrorist army in Lebanon.
But both murderous groups are closely linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and are listed by the US government as terrorist organizations.
Netanyahu’s personal mission
In recent months, Netanyahu revealed Israeli Coordinator for Prisoners and Missing Persons Gal Hirsch has been leading a dedicated team to track down the kidnapped researcher.
When she was finally rescued on Tuesday, Netanyahu immediately called her devastated family with the life-changing news.
“This evening, I spoke with Emma and Avital, her sisters, and in the emotional conversation I told them that all of Israel is happy to see her back home,” he said in a heart-wrenching statement.
“We will continue to fight with courage and determination until we return all of our hostages home – the living and the fallen alike,” Netanyahu vowed, referring to the 48 hostages still trapped in Gaza’s hell.
Family’s overwhelming joy after 903 days of agony
After receiving the miraculous news, Emma Tsurkov revealed 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.”
Her gratitude was overwhelming: “We are so thankful to President Trump and his Special Envoy, Adam Boehler. If Adam had not made my sister’s return his personal mission, I do not know where we would be.
“We also want to thank Josh Harris and his team at the US Embassy in Baghdad for the support they provided to our sister and the team at the nonprofit Global Reach who advocated relentlessly for my sister’s safe return.”