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Hezbollah Frees Hostage Elizabeth Tsurkov

Elizabeth Tulkov Released After Captivity

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced the release of Elizabeth Tulkov, a Princeton graduate student, who had been held captive for over 900 days. Currently, she is at the US embassy in Baghdad.

Tulkov was accused during her research trip to Baghdad in 2023 and had been imprisoned by the Iran-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah. After extensive negotiations, she was finally handed over to US authorities. The Iraqi Prime Minister also confirmed her release and praised the efforts of his security forces.

“I am pleased to report that Elizabeth Tulkov, a Princeton student whose sister is a US citizen, has just been freed from Kataib Hezbollah’s custody. She endured months of torture before being safely delivered to the US Embassy in Iraq,” Trump stated, expressing his commitment to fighting for justice.

Tulkov went missing in March 2023 while conducting doctoral research, and she later appeared in hostage videos broadcast on Iraqi television in November. Her family expressed immense relief on Tuesday, thanking Trump and hostage envoy Adam Berer for their efforts in securing her release.

“I can’t wait to meet Elizabeth and shower her with love after 903 days apart,” said her sister, Emma Tulkov, in a post on X.

There were no military operations linked to her release, and the specifics of the negotiations remain unclear. Prior reports indicated that Berer traveled to Baghdad earlier this year to advocate for Tulkov’s release.

Israeli officials had previously stated that the group was holding her, although Kataib Hezbollah had not publicly claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. At the time of her abduction, Tulkov held Israeli and Russian citizenship and was working on her PhD at Princeton.

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