U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, the country’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed.
Kittleson, an award-winning journalist with Al-Monitor, was reporting on regional developments in Baghdad at the time of her kidnapping. No group immediately claimed responsibility. The Iraqi MOI announced it was carrying out an operation to find and retrieve her, and had arrested one person in connection with the kidnapping.
“Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers’ movements,” the MOI statement read. “The pursuit resulted in the interception of a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers, which overturned as they attempted to escape. Security forces were able to arrest one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime.”
“The Ministry of Interior reiterates its commitment to not permitting any attempt to destabilize security or target foreign guests, and its security forces will remain vigilant and resolute in pursuing lawbreakers and bringing them to justice,” the statement continued.
The Iraqi MOI published photos of the seized car mentioned, which displayed heavy damage.
A video posted by Iraqi news allegedly captured the moment Kittleson was kidnapped. It showed a group of men grabbing and pushing her into a car at a busy street before taking off.
Though no group was immediately identified, a likely culprit is Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shiite terrorist group backed by Iran. The group kidnapped Elizabeth Tsurkov, 38, a Russian Israeli researcher, in October 2023. She was released last year after 903 days in captivity.
Kataib Hezbollah is unrelated to the better-known Hezbollah of Lebanon, though both are Shiite militias heavily backed by Iran. Kataib Hezbollah is one of the main groups that make up the Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of Shiite militias integrated into the Iraqi government’s security apparatus, despite being designated a terrorist group by the United States.
Kataib Hezbollah’s first leader, Abu Mahdi al Muhandis, was killed by the U.S. in January 2020 in the same drone strike that killed Iranian Quds Force leader Qassem Soleimani.
The group has fired at U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury and has been likewise targeted in U.S. airstrikes, primarily from A-10 Warthogs.