American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was abducted from a street corner in Baghdad last week, has been freed in a surprising development. An Iraqi official, with direct knowledge of the situation, confirmed Kittleson’s release on Tuesday afternoon.
The release followed a statement by Iraqi militia group Kataib Hezbollah on Telegram, announcing that they would be releasing the journalist as a gesture of appreciation towards outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Kittleson was instructed to depart from Iraq immediately. The group emphasized that this action would not be repeated in the future, and the journalist’s current location is unknown.
Kittleson, a US freelance journalist with experience reporting in the Middle East and Afghanistan, has contributed to various media outlets such as Foreign Policy, BBC World Service, New Lines Magazine, Politico, and Al Majalla. She was identified as the kidnapped journalist by Al-Monitor, one of the news organizations she has collaborated with.
After her abduction on March 31, the Iraqi interior ministry revealed that a female foreign journalist had been kidnapped in Baghdad and that security forces were actively pursuing the perpetrators. Kittleson was reportedly taken near the Palestine Hotel on Saadoun Street, with her captors heading towards Babil province.
Footage from Al Arabiya showed a woman being forced into a car by two men before the vehicle sped away. Although Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged responsibility for the abduction, both US and Iraqi officials had implicated the group.
According to two anonymous militia officials, Kittleson was released in exchange for the freedom of several detained group members. US authorities had warned Kittleson multiple times about threats against her, but she had chosen to remain in Iraq.
Following her abduction, security forces initiated an operation based on precise intelligence to apprehend the kidnappers. The ministry stated that efforts were ongoing to locate the remaining perpetrators and ensure the journalist’s safe return, along with taking legal actions against those involved in the crime.
