US should use its influence to help win the freedom of a scholar missing in Iraq, her sister says

By ERIC TUCKER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The sister of a Russian-Israeli academic at Princeton University who went missing in Iraq nearly six months ago says the United States should use its influence to help win her freedom. Elizabeth Tsurkov is a doctoral student at Princeton University whose work focuses on the Middle East. The Russian-Israeli academic is believed to be held by an Iran-backed militia that’s regarded by Washington as a terrorist group. Her sister, Emma, is working to draw attention to the case. She’s been meeting in Washington this week with the State Department and Israeli and Russian government officials. Emma Tsurkov tells The Associated Press that the level of pressure is unsatisfactory so far.