An American freelance journalist was kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad by unknown assailants, the Iraqi Interior Ministry said.
The journalist was later identified as Shelly Kittleson, a U.S. citizen based in Rome who has contributed to numerous publications, including Al-Monitor. She is known for her reporting from conflict zones across the Middle East, including Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.
The ministry said Kittleson was seized by four men in civilian clothes near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street. Officials said the kidnapping is believed to involve the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
Authorities launched an operation immediately to rescue Kittleson based on what they described as “precise intelligence.” Officials intercepted one of the vehicles believed to belong to her captors, though Kittleson was not inside.
One individual believed to be involved in the kidnapping was arrested by Iraqi authorities. No additional details about Kittleson’s current condition or location were immediately available.
The State Department advised Americans, particularly journalists, to follow travel advisories closely amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
The U.S. Department of State is aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, Iraq.
The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their…
— Dylan Johnson (@ASDylanJohnson) March 31, 2026
“The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible,” Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said.
The incident recalls the 2023 abduction of Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was held by Kataib Hezbollah in Baghdad for more than two years before her release under a U.S.-brokered deal.
