Search is underway for a female American journalist identified as Shelly Kittleson, after she was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday, police officials said.
Officials said Kittleson was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken away in a vehicle. The search is focused on the eastern part of the Iraqi capital where the kidnappers’ vehicle was headed – Reuters reported – citing the officials.
Who is Shelly Kittleson?
Middle East news website Al-Monitor reported that Kittleson is a US freelance journalist based in Rome who has covered multiple conflicts in the region and contributed articles to the publication.
As per her social media bio, Kittleson is an award-winning journalist reporting from the Middle East and Afghanistan. Apart from Al-Monitor – she has worked for publications like Foreign Policy, Politico, the BBC World Service.
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Al-Monitor said it is “deeply alarmed” by Kittleson’s kidnapping, reported AP, citing a statement.
“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.”
How Shelly was kidnapped?
Two Iraqi security officials – who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the journalist was abducted from central Baghdad’s Saadoun Street. They added that an alert was circulated to all checkpoints, leading to a pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed southwest of Baghdad toward Babil province.
According to the officials, two vehicles were used in the abduction. One of them crashed during the chase and was intercepted by security forces near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province. The journalist was then moved into a second vehicle, which managed to escape, AFP reported.
One suspect arrested
The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed the abduction of a female journalist but did not disclose her nationality. It said that security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers, “acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations” after intercepting a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee.
The ministry said one suspect was arrested and efforts were ongoing to free the journalist.
Kataib Hezbollah behind kidnapping?
Multiple unverified videos on social media claimed to show the moment the American journalist was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah members in central Baghdad.
A report by Turkiye Today also mentioned that the journalist was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship – who disappeared in Baghdad in 2023 — had said that she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah group – after she was handed over to US authorities in September 2025, reported AP.
US State Dept releases statement
In a statement, the US State Department said: “The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans” and that it is “tracking these reports.”
“Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time,” the statement said.
