American Journalist Safely Released: A Week After Abduction in Iraq

Last week, an American journalist who had been kidnapped in Iraq has now been freed.

Iraqi authorities announced that Shelly Kittleson, age 49, was safely released on Tuesday after being seized from a street in Baghdad.

Kittleson was in Baghdad to report on the effects of the US-Israeli conflict on Iran.

The Iran-supported Iraqi militia, Kataib Hezbollah, informed KSTP that upon her release, Kittleson was directed to “leave the country immediately.”

Residing in Rome, Italy, Kittleson has spent over ten years traveling the Middle East as a freelance journalist, with a particular focus on Iraq and Syria.

Two anonymous Iraqi security officials said that in exchange for Kittleson’s freedom, at least six members of Kataib Hezbollah who Iraqi officials had detained were released. 

Iraqi authorities reportedly detained the members due to their involvement in attacks on the US base in Syria. 

In a statement, Kataib Hezbollah said the decision came ‘in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing’ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. 

Shelly Kittleson, 49, was released a week after being abducted by Khatib Hezbollah in Iraq

Kittleson was reportedly abducted from a street corner in Baghdad on March 31. Two vehicles were involved in her abduction

‘This initiative will not be repeated in the future,’ they added. ‘We are in a state of war waged by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are disregarded.’

Kittleson was reportedly free by the afternoon but her whereabouts have not been revealed. She was previously held in Baghdad. 

On Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah uploaded a video of Kittleson, reported the New York Times. 

Kataib Hezbollah officials released the video to illustrate ‘the role of [Kittleson] and her activities in Iraq.’

In the heavily edited footage, Kittleson said she gave information about Iraqi militias to an American diplomat. 

‘I collected information, but it wasn’t enough and they asked me for more,’ she said.

Experts in international law told the Times that the video was likely made under duress and statements within it could be coerced. 

Alex Plitas, a national security analyst and Kittleson’s main point of contact, said she was an ‘innocent woman and a well-known and respected journalist.’

‘We are waiting for official confirmation of her pending release and look forward to that moment,’ he added per the Washington Post. 

Kittleson has been a freelance journalist in the Middle East for more than a decade. She primarily reported in Iraq and Syria

Kataib Hezbollah was allegedly responsible for missile strikes on the US Embassy in Baghdad

The US State Department reportedly warned Kittleson against entering Iraq, given reported threats against the journalist and her safety. 

She was allegedly abducted by a group of unidentified men near her hotel in the Iraqi capital on March 31. 

Kittleson was snatched by armed men near the Palestine Hotel on Al-Saadoun Street in central Baghdad.

Two cars were involved in her kidnapping, officials said. 

One crashed southwest of Baghdad while being pursued. 

Kittleson was loaded into a second car and rushed away. 

Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite group based in Iraq, is a separate group from the Hezbollah movement, an Iran-backed group in Lebanon.

But both groups are closely linked to Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and are listed by the US government as terrorist organizations.

Kataib Hezbollah has frequently launched rocket and drone attacks against US targets in the war against Iran, including missile strikes on the US Embassy in Baghdad. 

The group had not previously stated that they were responsible for Kittleson’s abduction. 

Kataib Hezbollah released a video of Kittleson shortly before her releasing in which the journalist ‘confesses’ to giving information to US diplomats

The US State Department said it warned Kittleson against entering Iraq due to threats against her

Some anonymous officials said negotiations regarding Kittleson’s release had been difficult. 

‘The primary challenge is that the leaders of the Kataib militia — specifically, the commanders of the battalions — are nowhere to be found,’ they said. ‘No one knows their whereabouts, and the process of establishing contact with them is extremely complex.’

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces were assigned to secure Kittleson’s release along with the FBI and the US State Department.

Kittleson’s release came hours after President Donald Trump made threats to Iran if officials failed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 8pm on April 7. 

‘A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,’ he wrote on Truth Social. ‘I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.’ 

He has since announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran.

The Daily Mail contacted the US State Department, the US Embassy in Baghdad and the FBI for more information.