American journalist Shelly Kittleson has reportedly been released by an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia weeks after she was abducted in Baghdad.
Kataib Hezbollah said Kittleson would be freed but must leave Iraq immediately. She had been abducted in late March in the Iraqi capital, and there was little public information about her status until now, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Kittleson has reported from the Middle East for more than a decade and contributes to outlets including Al-Monitor. On Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah shared a heavily edited video of her on social media, in which she says she passed information about militias in Iraq to an American diplomat. Experts note that statements made under duress in such videos are generally coerced and may constitute a war crime.
Her kidnapping prompted a manhunt by Iraqi security forces and US diplomatic efforts. The day after her abduction, Kataib Hezbollah offered to negotiate her release in return for detained members.
The militia is among Iraq’s most powerful Iranian proxies and has repeatedly targeted US installations. Its attacks on U.S. posts in Iraq and Syria contributed to its 2009 designation as a foreign terrorist organization by the US government.
This is a breaking story.
Kataib Hezbollah said Kittleson would be freed but must leave Iraq immediately. She had been abducted in late March in the Iraqi capital, and there was little public information about her status until now, according to the Jerusalem Post.
“In appreciation of the national positions of the outgoing Prime Minister, we have decided to release the American detainee, Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with Kataib Hezbollah, said. “This initiative will not be repeated again in the coming days. We are in a state of war resembling that imposed by the American enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are set aside.”
The release comes as part of a prisoner swap, though the State Department did not provide further details when asked by the Washington Post.
Kittleson has reported from the Middle East for more than a decade and contributes to outlets including Al-Monitor. On Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah shared a heavily edited video of her on social media, in which she says she passed information about militias in Iraq to an American diplomat. Experts note that statements made under duress in such videos are generally coerced and may constitute a war crime.
Her kidnapping prompted a manhunt by Iraqi security forces and US diplomatic efforts. The day after her abduction, Kataib Hezbollah offered to negotiate her release in return for detained members.
The militia is among Iraq’s most powerful Iranian proxies and has repeatedly targeted US installations. Its attacks on U.S. posts in Iraq and Syria contributed to its 2009 designation as a foreign terrorist organization by the US government.
This is a breaking story.
