Iraq’s Interior Ministry reported that American freelance journalist Shelley Kittleson was abducted by unidentified individuals in Baghdad on Tuesday, and security forces are working to apprehend those responsible.
The ministry said the operation was launched immediately based on what it called “precise intelligence.” It added that authorities had intercepted a vehicle believed to belong to the abductors that flipped over as they tried to flee. However, Kittleson was not in the vehicle. Local news reports indicated she was taken near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Kittleson’s kidnapping recalls that of Russian Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov at a Baghdad cafe in March 2023. She was held hostage by the pro-Iranian militia, Kataib Hezbollah, for 903 days before she was freed under a deal that was brokered by the United States.
Kittleson, an American citizen who has spent years in Italy and is currently based in Rome, is known for her courageous reporting from war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Kittleson has no known agenda and has contributed to numerous publications. Trump administration sources confirmed to Al-Monitor that they were aware of the threat against her and had advised against travel to Iraq.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a US official said the State Department is aware of Kittleson’s kidnapping and working with the Iraqi government to secure her release.
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The Iraqi government did not identify the journalist or those responsible for the abduction, but said the victim is female, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
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One person has been arrested, and efforts are ongoing to secure her release, a statement added.
