According to an Iraqi official with firsthand knowledge of the incident, US journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was abducted from a street in Baghdad last week, has been released.
The official stated that Kittleson was freed in the afternoon, speaking to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to disclose details publicly. While the official did not reveal her current location, they confirmed that she had been held in Baghdad prior to her release.
Earlier in the day, the influential Iranian-backed militia, Kataib Hezbollah, announced its decision to release Kittleson, who had been abducted on March 31. The group indicated that this decision was made “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing prime minister,” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, but did not provide further details. They also stated, “This initiative will not be repeated in the future.”
Furthermore, the militia imposed a condition on her release, requiring that Kittleson “leave the country immediately.”
The US State Department has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the situation.
While Kataib Hezbollah had not previously admitted to being responsible for Kittleson’s kidnapping, US and Iraqi officials had pointed to the group as being involved. Two officials from the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, informed the AP that the release of Kittleson was contingent upon the freedom of several militia members previously detained by Iraqi authorities.
Kittleson, 49, is a freelance journalist who had spent several years living abroad, including a period based in Rome, and had developed a respected career covering the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria. Like many freelancers, she often worked with limited resources and lacked the safety nets typically provided by larger news organizations.
She had returned to Iraq shortly before her kidnapping. US officials indicated that they had warned her multiple times about potential threats, but she chose not to leave.
Iraqi authorities reported that two vehicles were involved in the abduction, one of which crashed while fleeing near al-Haswa in Babil province, located southwest of Baghdad. Kittleson was then transferred to a second vehicle that escaped the scene.
Earlier reports from three Iraqi officials indicated that negotiations for her release faced significant challenges. One security official noted that a representative from the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-backed militias that operates under the nominal control of the Iraqi military, was tasked with communicating with the kidnappers but encountered difficulties in reaching the leadership of Kataib Hezbollah.
Kataib Hezbollah has been previously implicated in the abduction of foreign nationals. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with dual Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023 and later revealed that she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah after her release and transfer to US authorities in September 2025. The group never formally acknowledged responsibility for her kidnapping.
Since the onset of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have frequently attacked US facilities within the country.
