by Israel National News
Senior official says US, Russia, and Israel working to secure release of Elizabeth Tsurkov after she was kidnapped in Iraq.
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| Baghdad iStock |
A senior political official revealed new details this evening (Wednesday) of the kidnapping of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov by an extremist militia in Iraq.
The official emphasized that Tsurkov entered Ira, even though she knew that this is prohibited under Israeli law and that this was not her first visit to the country. "Elizabeth Zurkov is an academic, a doctoral student at Princeton who deals with issues of the Middle East and aspects related to Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. By virtue of her academic position, she came to Iraq. She holds Israeli and Russian citizenship. She was kidnapped around the middle of March this year. This was not her first trip to Iraq and it is possible that she traveled to more dangerous places. She walked around the area and interviewed many people. It was probably not difficult to track her down and kidnap her."
He stated that the Prime Minister's Office decided to reveal the kidnapping after it became publicized through international media and that Tsurkov is alive and in good condition according to the intelligence in Israel's possession.
"Israel is working in several directions and is examining acts and methods that will lead to Elizabeth's release. From our point of view, even though she arrived as an Israeli citizen in an enemy country and found herself in distress - and the State of Israel is making every effort to help her.
"We are also trying to examine ways to prevent the recurrence of similar events in the near future and in general. Intensive work is being carried out to see how the issue of enforcement can be implemented in a better way and to better monitor Israelis who travel to an enemy country," he added.
He further stated that there is no doubt that "the party who kidnapped Elizabeth is an Iranian Shia militia [which targeted her] because she is a foreigner - Russian or Israeli."
Israel National News has learned that the American and Russian governments are cooperating in their attempts to secure Tsurkov's release. Russia is involved because she is a dual Russian-Israeli citizen.
The official also dismissed reports that Tsurkov was a member of one of Israel's security organizations. "She is an innocent Israeli citizen who came to Iraq as part of her doctoral thesis. It has nothing to do with Israeli officials."
He did not rule out the possibility that Iran was directly involved in the kidnapping. "It is not impossible that Iran is involved in the talks. This is a Shiite militia that is known for its ties with Iran."
The official stated that the government has been in contact with the family since the kidnapping occured in March.
Israel National News
Source: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/373742
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