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Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revealed that Shelly Kittleson, an American freelance journalist who was abducted in Baghdad, Iraq, has been freed. She was taken by Kata’ib Hezbollah, a militia backed by Iran.
In a post on X, Rubio noted that the Department of State “extends its appreciation” to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of War, as well as the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council for helping to secure Kittleson’s release. Rubio also expressed that “this resolution reflects the Trump Administration’s steadfast commitment to the safety and security of American citizens.”
“I’m thrilled to announce the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was recently kidnapped by members of the foreign terrorist group Kata’ib Hizballah near Baghdad, Iraq,” Rubio stated.
Rubio emphasized that during the Trump administration, “the wrongful detention or kidnapping of U.S. citizens will not be tolerated.”
“We will continue to employ all available resources to bring Americans home and ensure those responsible face consequences,” Rubio added.
This announcement from Rubio follows a week after the Iraqi Interior Ministry confirmed the kidnapping of a journalist, though they initially withheld Kittleson’s identity, as reported by John Hayward of Breitbart News.
Rubio’s announcement came a week after the Iraqi Interior Ministry confirmed that a journalist had been abducted, though Kittleson’s identity was not revealed, Breitbart News’s John Hayward reported.
Video footage of Kittleson’s abduction shows two men accosting her and forcing “her into a car”:
The Iraqi Interior Ministry confirmed that a foreign journalist was abducted on Tuesday, but did not officially reveal the identity of the victim. Two unnamed Iraqi security officials later told the Associated Press (AP) that the victim was a female United States citizen.
Video of the abduction was caught by security cameras and quickly spread across social media. In the video, two men accost the victim on a street corner in central Baghdad and force her into a car, apparently with some difficulty.
The Iraqi security sources who spoke to the Associated Press said the “unknown individuals” made their getaway in two vehicles, one of which crashed during hot pursuit near the town of Al-Haswa, south of Baghdad. The individuals and their victim transferred into another vehicle and eluded their pursuers.
In a statement, Kata’ib Hezbollah shared that Kittleson had been released on the condition that she “leave the country immediately,” the Associated Press reported.
“Two officials” from Kata’ib Hezbollah told the outlet that “in exchange” for Kittleson’s release, members of the militia group that had “been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.”