American Journalist Kidnapped in Baghdad by Suspected Iranian-Backed Militia

An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US said, as regional security deteriorates after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.

The state department said it was working to ensure the American’s release 'as soon as possible'.

“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.

Iraq said that authorities intercepted a vehicle that overturned as they tried to flee. “Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime,” the Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement.

The journalist was identified as Shelly Kittleson, a freelancer, by media advocacy groups as well as Al-Monitor, one of the news outlets for which she worked. Kittleson is a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting extensively from Syria and Iraq.

Al-Monitor in a statement said it was “deeply alarmed” by Kittleson’s kidnapping and called for her “safe and immediate release”. “We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work,” the news organisation said.

The US has warned Americans of rising risks in Iraq, where Iran has sway over several Shia armed groups, after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February. Johnson said that the state department had “fulfilled our duty” to warn the journalist about threats and reiterated a warning for Americans to leave Iraq.