An American journalist, Shelly Kittleson, has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US has said, as regional security deteriorates after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Kittleson, a longtime freelancer who has reported extensively from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon, was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken in a vehicle, police officials said. The US state department confirmed it was working to ensure her release “as soon as possible”.
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said an individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities. The Iraqi interior ministry said security forces intercepted a vehicle that overturned as suspects tried to flee, arresting one suspect and seizing a vehicle.
Kittleson’s employer, Al-Monitor, expressed deep alarm and called for her safe and immediate release. The abduction occurred in Baghdad, where security forces are focusing their search on the eastern part of the capital. The kidnapping recalls the 2023 abduction of Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was released after two years of captivity.
The US has warned Americans of rising risks in Iraq, where Iran has sway over several Shia armed groups, following the US and Israeli attack on Iran on 28 February. Johnson reiterated a warning for Americans to leave Iraq, saying the state department had fulfilled its duty to warn the journalist about threats.
