US journalist Shelly Kittleson to be freed from captivity in Iraq
U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson, who writes for Al-Monitor, was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 31 by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia. The group says she is expected to be released on Tuesday after about a week in captivity, in exchange for the release of several detained Kataib Hezbollah members and her immediate departure from Iraq. Kataib hezbollah framed the move as a gesture of appreciation for Iraq’s prime minister and said the initiative would not be repeated, citing the broader conflict with what it calls the Zionist-American enemy. U.S. officials say they are awaiting Kittleson’s transfer to American custody,and the State Department has issued a security alert urging Americans in Iraq to leave amid ongoing threats. The development occurs within the context of attacks by Iran-backed militias on U.S. forces during Operation Epic Fury; U.S. CENTCOM says the militias have not caused notable injuries and that Washington will protect its personnel. The report also notes that other allied groups, such as Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, have focused their attacks primarily on Israel rather than the U.S. in the region.
Captured US journalist Shelly Kittleson freed after deal with Iranian-backed Iraqi militia
American journalist Shelly Kittleson is expected to be released on Tuesday after a week in captivity following her kidnapping in Baghdad, according to statements from the militia that held her.
Kittleson, an award-winning journalist with Al-Monitor, was reporting on regional developments in the Iraqi capital on March 31 when she was abducted by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group distinct from the Lebanese organization Hezbollah.
In a statement, Kataib Hezbollah said it would release Kittleson “in appreciation of the patriotic positions” of Iraq’s prime minister, who had been involved in negotiations for her pending release, and ordered her to leave the country immediately.
“This initiative will not be repeated in the future,” a group security commander known as Abu Mujahid Al-Asaf said in the statement. “We are in a state of war waged by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam, and in such situations many considerations are disregarded.”
U.S. officials are reportedly waiting for Kittleson to be transferred to American custody.
Two Iraqi security officials said Kittleson’s release was secured in exchange for the freeing of several detained Kataib Hezbollah members.
Kataib Hezbollah is part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” to attack U.S. troops during the ongoing Iran war.
Since the start of Operation Epic Fury, Kataib Hezbollah and other Iran-backed militias have launched attacks on U.S. forces, U.S. Central Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said in a March statement to the Washington Examiner.
“U.S. forces have taken action in response to attacks from Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups against American forces and personnel since the start of Operation Epic Fury,” Hawkins said. “We will not hesitate to protect our people.”
On Thursday, the State Department issued a security alert urging Americans in Iraq to leave the country, warning that militant groups had targeted U.S. citizens for kidnapping, likely referencing Kittleson’s abduction.
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The militant groups have not caused any “significant injuries” to American forces in or near Iraq, according to a CENTCOM official’s statement to the Washington Examiner last month. The official added that the threat posed by the militias has had “no impact” on the U.S. goals in Iran.
While it has engaged U.S. forces in Iraq, other allied groups, including Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, have focused their attacks primarily on Israel during the war.
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