An American journalist, Shelly Kittleson, has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a suspected Iranian-backed Iraqi armed group, the US has said, as regional security deteriorates after the US-Israeli attack on Iran.
Kittleson is a longtime freelancer in the region, reporting extensively from Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.
The US state department said it was working to ensure her release “as soon as possible”.
“An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities,” Dylan Johnson, the assistant secretary of state for global public affairs, wrote on X.
The US-Iran war has spread to Iraq, which has a heavy presence of pro-Iran militias. The US has bombed them repeatedly since the beginning of the war, while the militias have targeted the US embassy and military bases in Iraq.
Iraq said authorities intercepted a vehicle that overturned as suspects tried to flee. “Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime,” the Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement.
“The ministry affirms that efforts are ongoing to track down the remaining individuals involved, secure the release of the kidnapped journalist,” it added.
An Iraqi security source told Agence France-Presse that the abduction occurred in Baghdad. Iraqi authorities did not identify the perpetrator or the victim.
Al-Monitor in a statement said it was “deeply alarmed” by Kittleson’s kidnapping and called for her “safe and immediate release”. “We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work,” the news organisation said.
Kittleson is known for her in-depth reporting, with a particular emphasis on conflict zones and tribal dynamics in Iraq and Syria.
Police officials in Iraq said Kittleson was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken in a vehicle. A surveillance video showed a man forcing her into a car on the streets of Baghdad and the car driving off in a matter of seconds.
The search was focused on the eastern part of the capital where the kidnappers’ vehicle was headed, they added.
Baghdad was previously notorious for kidnappings and attempted abductions, but they decreased as the security situation in the country improved in recent years. The power of pro-Iran militias has also decreased as a result of the fall of Bashar al-Assad in Syria and militias being integrated into the state.
However, the war in Iran has deepened confrontations between pro-Iran militias and the Iraqi state.
The Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023. She was held for two years until her release last year. During her detention, she endured severe torture, leading to permanent injury.
The US has warned Americans of rising risks in Iraq, where Iran has sway over several Shia armed groups, after the US and Israel attacked Iran on 28 February.
Johnson said the state department had “fulfilled our duty” to warn the journalist about threats and reiterated a warning for Americans to leave Iraq. “The state department strongly advise all Americans, including members of the press, to adhere to all travel advisories,” he said.
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