An Iran-backed Iraqi militia said Tuesday it will release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, just over a week after she was abducted in central Baghdad.
Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iranian terrorist organization, announced that Kittleson would be freed and said she must leave Iraq immediately.
Moments of Shelly Kittleson's abduction in Baghdad
The announcement came as the world awaits the expiration of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Iran, set for early Wednesday morning Israel time, raising the possibility that the move is intended as a signal from Iran’s regional allies to Washington.
Kittleson, a freelance journalist who contributes to Al-Monitor, was kidnapped last week in central Baghdad. She has previously written for the BBC and Politico and began her reporting career covering Afghanistan before first visiting Syria in 2012.
Her abduction came three years after the kidnapping of Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was also seized in central Baghdad by operatives linked to Kataib Hezbollah. Tsurkov was held in captivity in the Iraqi capital for two years before being freed by Iraqi security forces, with assistance from the United States, on September 9, 2025.
Following Kittleson’s abduction, Iraq’s Interior Ministry said security forces launched an immediate operation to locate the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence.
According to the ministry, authorities tracked the suspects’ movements and located a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned during an attempted escape. Security forces arrested one suspect and seized one of the vehicles used in the crime.
Efforts to locate additional suspects and secure Kittleson’s release continued, officials said, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.
“We will not allow any attempt to undermine security or harm foreign guests,” the ministry said in a statement.
Kittleson’s reporting has focused on regional affairs, and she has worked extensively across the Middle East.
First published: 19:35, 04.07.26