Princeton graduate student held in Iraq

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a graduate student at Princeton University, is being held captive by a Shiite militia after she was abducted in Baghdad, The Washington Post reported.

She has been missing since March, but the office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the circumstance of her disappearance Wednesday. Netanyahu said she is still alive.

She is an Israeli-Russian dual citizen who was doing research in Baghdad for her doctoral dissertation. She was traveling with her Russian passport.

“Elizabeth is a valued member of the Princeton University community,” said Michael Hotchkiss, a spokesman for Princeton. “We are deeply concerned for her safety and well-being, and we are eager for her to be able to rejoin her family and resume her studies.”