American journalist Shelley Kittleson, who was kidnapped in central Baghdad on March 31 by members of the pro-Iranian Kataib Hezbollah organization, has been released in Iraq.
This was announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“I am pleased to announce the release of American journalist Shelley Kittleson, who was recently kidnapped by members of the foreign terrorist organization Kataib Hezbollah near Baghdad, Iraq,” the statement said.
Rubio added that Kittleson is now free and the US is working on her safe departure from Iraq.
What is known about the kidnapping of journalist Shelley Kittleson
American freelance journalist Shelley Kittleson has worked in combat zones in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and has also collaborated with major world publications, including the BBC and Politico. On March 31, unknown assailants abducted a woman in a car in central Baghdad. On the same day, Iraqi law enforcement authorities detained a suspect in her kidnapping, who was associated with the pro-Iranian organization Kataib Hezbollah. The US State Department reported that American officials had repeatedly contacted Kittleson before the kidnapping with a warning that the woman was on Kataib Hezbollah's lists.