An American journalist has reportedly been freed after being held captive for more than a week by an Iran-backed militia, with the group demanding she “leave the country immediately” as a condition of her release.
In late March, Shelly Kittleson was stopped in the middle of a road in Baghdad by a group of armed men who then threw her into a van and fled the city. The kidnappers were later identified as members of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite Iraqi militia.
Kataib Hezbollah said in a Tuesday statement on Telegram that it had decided to release Kittleson following productive discussions with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The militia said they had an “appreciation of the patriotic stances” of the prime minister, and released the journalist “on the condition that she leaves the country immediately.”
Middle Eastern outlet Al-Monitor, which Kittleson worked for prior to her kidnapping, reported that two Iraqi officials confirmed Kittleson’s release, and according to one official, Kittleson was in the Iraqi prime minister’s office on Tuesday.
The officials declined to give further details on her release, and neither the Iraqi nor U.S. government has verified Kittleson’s release at the time of publication.
Alhurra, an Arabic outlet based in Washington, D.C., reported Monday, citing Iraqi intelligence sources, that Kittleson had been moved to a militia-controlled area in Iraq’s Babil province — which is known as a hub for smuggling operations and attacks on U.S. forces — where she was believed to be held as a “human shield” against American strikes. The outlet also reported that Kataib Hezbollah was seeking the release of four of its members detained by Iraqi authorities for their role in attacks on Syria. It is unclear if the Iraqi government met this demand.
Kataib Hezbollah released footage purporting to show Kittleson earlier Tuesday, with her supposedly admitting to gathering intelligence on Iranian-backed militias for the U.S. government. The unverified video would be the first sign of life of Kittleson since her abduction.
Iraqi Hezbollah releases footage of American journalist Shelly Kittelson in captivity, showing her “admitting” she gathered intelligence on Shia militias for the U.S. consul in Baghdad.
They say she will be freed and must leave Iraq immediately. https://t.co/M8nTZaFNRC pic.twitter.com/bUiqbTiCCm
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) April 7, 2026
Kittleson, a journalist specializing in the Middle East who has reported for the BBC, Foreign Relations, and POLITICO, was in Baghdad reporting on Iraqi politics for the outlet Al-Monitor at the time of her kidnapping.
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