Iraq: Abducted US journalist has been released in Baghdad

[UPDATE 08.04.2026] The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has welcomed the release of Shelly Kittleson on 7 April. Kittleson, a freelance American journalist who had been covering news from Iraq, was abducted in Baghdad on 31 March and had been detained for over a week by a suspected Iraqi paramilitary group.

Credit: AFP.

Shelly Kittleson is a Rome-based award winning freelance journalist who has focused on the Middle East and on Afghanistan, and who has been reporting from Iraq, Syria and the region for years. She has worked for media organisations such as Al-Monitor, BBC and Politico.

On 31 March, Kittleson was abductedin front of her hotel, in the centre of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, by unidentified individuals who approached her in a car. In a later pursuit, the Iraqi security forces intercepted one of the two cars involved in the abduction, after it crashed, and arrested a suspect. Dylan Johnson, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, alleged that the suspect is linked to Kataib Hezbollah, a paramilitary group in Iraq. Iraqi officials didn't identify the suspect or the suspects' affiliation, and the search for Kittleson is ongoing. According to statements by Iraqi and US officials, Kittleson was aware of the kidnapping threats against her.

The IFJ affiliates in the US, the News Guild-CWAand the National Writers Unionhave called for Kittleson's safe release. They have also highlighted how, due to a lack of institutional protection, freelance journalists are at greater danger of attacks on the press.

The IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said:"We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Shelly Kittleson and call on Iraqi authorities to do their utmost to free her and to hold the perpetrators responsible." Bellanger added that"The safety of freelance journalists, who risk their lives to report on conflicts, must be a priority."

Update 08.04.2026 Shelly Kittleson was releasedon 7 April, according to US and Iraqi officials. On the same day, the paramilitary group Kataib Hezbollah had announced her release in a statement, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately.