About a week after she was abducted in Baghdad, American journalist Shelly Kittleson was released from captivity in Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday.
"I am pleased to announce the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was recently kidnapped by members of the foreign terrorist organization Kata’ib Hizballah near Baghdad, Iraq," he wrote on X. "We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq."
Shelly Kittleson's abduction in central Baghdad, last week
Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said a day earlier that it would free Kittleson, who was kidnapped in central Baghdad last week, and said she must leave Iraq immediately. The group’s announcement came as tensions were running high ahead of President Donald Trump’s deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face escalated U.S. action, before Trump later announced a two-week ceasefire with Tehran.
A video circulated by a social media account affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah appeared to show Kittleson speaking under duress. In it, she said she had gathered information on armed groups in Iraq and appealed for her release, while criticizing the Trump administration's policy.
Kittleson in captivity
Kittleson’s abduction drew renewed attention to the dangers facing foreigners and journalists in Iraq, and echoed the 2023 kidnapping of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who officials said was also seized in Baghdad by Kataib Hezbollah. Tsurkov was released in September 2025 after more than two years in captivity.
Iraqi officials said after Kittleson’s kidnapping that security forces immediately launched an operation to track down the captors, acting on what they described as precise intelligence. The Interior Ministry said one suspect was arrested and one vehicle used in the abduction was seized, while efforts continued to locate others involved and secure the journalist’s release.
Kittleson is a freelance journalist who has reported extensively from Iraq and the wider region. She has contributed to Al-Monitor and previously wrote for other international outlets, with Al-Monitor describing her as a journalist specializing in the Middle East and Afghanistan.