Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah to release US journalist Shelly Kittleson a week after Baghdad kidnapping
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah to release US journalist Shelly Kittleson a week after Baghdad kidnapping")
US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad on March 31, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Kittleson, an experienced freelancer for Al-Monitor and Foreign Policy, was abducted in broad daylight on Saadoun Street in central Baghdad on March 31.
Iraq's powerful Tehran-backed armed group Kataeb Hezbollah announced on Tuesday (April 07) that it would release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, a week after her high-profile kidnapping in Baghdad. The group’s security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, stated the decision was a gesture toward the "national stances" of Iraq’s outgoing prime minister, provided she leaves the country immediately.
"In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately," Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official in the Iran-backed group, said in a brief statement.
Kittleson, an experienced freelancer for Al-Monitor and Foreign Policy, was abducted in broad daylight on Saadoun Street in central Baghdad on March 31. During the initial abduction, a dramatic pursuit by Iraqi security forces led to a vehicle crash in Babil province. While Kittleson was moved to a second car and spirited away, one suspect was apprehended at the scene and later identified as a member of Kataeb Hezbollah's 45th Brigade.
The release comes as Iraq continues to be embroiled in regional conflict since the start of the war in West Asia on February 28. Following the initial US-Israeli strikes on Tehran, Iran launched waves of retaliatory missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases across Iraq, turning the country into a central battleground.
The situation remains critical as the Trump administration’s 8:00 PM ET deadline looms, threatening further massive military action if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened.
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(Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing conflicts in West Asia involving Israel, Iran, the US, Gulf nations and non-state actors like Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, Islamic State, and others. Claims and counterclaims, disinformation and misinformation are being made online and offline. Given this context, WION cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, social media posts, photos and videos.)
