A US journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad and a search is underway
[April 01, 2026]
By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ABBY SEWELL
BAGHDAD (AP) — An American journalist was kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad
and Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, Iraqi officials
said. The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by
one of the outlets she worked for.
A U.S. official blamed the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed a foreign journalist had been
kidnapped but didn't give more details. Two Iraqi security officials,
who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to
speak publicly about the case, said the kidnapped journalist is a woman
and a U.S. citizen.
They said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which
crashed while being pursued near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province
southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was then transferred to a second
car that fled the scene.
The interior ministry said security forces had launched an operation to
track down the kidnappers, and intercepted a vehicle belonging to the
kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee. One suspect was
arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but
others remain on the loose, the statement said.
The two Iraqi security officials said the journalist was abducted in
central Baghdad's Saadoun Street, and that an alert was sent to all
checkpoints, leading to the pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed
toward Babil province.
Al-Monitor, a regional news site covering the Middle East, said it was
“deeply alarmed” and identified the journalist as Kittleson, a
freelancer who contributed to the publication.
“We call for her safe and immediate release,” the statement said. “We
stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift
return to continue her important work.”
Kittleson has been a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting
extensively from Syria and Iraq.
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The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment. The U.S. State
Department issued a statement, saying the Trump administration "has
no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans" and
that it is “tracking these reports.”
Dylan Johnson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for public affairs,
said on X that the “State Department previously fulfilled our duty
to warn this individual of threats against them.”
“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib
Hezbollah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken
into custody by Iraqi authorities,” Johnson added.
A second U.S, official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to
privacy concerns, said the abducted journalist had been warned
multiple times, including as late as Monday night, that she was in
danger and should leave Iraq immediately.
Iraqi officials have not publicly said anything about the
kidnappers' affiliation.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched regular attacks on U.S.
facilities in the country since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli
war on Iran. Since the war began on Feb. 28, the U.S. Embassy has
warned of kidnapping risks and urged citizens in Iraq to leave.
Iraqi militias have also kidnapped foreigners in the past.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and
Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After she was
freed and handed over to U.S. authorities in September 2025, she
said that she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah.
The group never officially claimed responsibility for kidnapping
her.
___
Sewell reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Stella Martany
in Irbil, Iraq, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this
report.
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