American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was abducted Tuesday in Baghdad by unidentified individuals, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, which said security forces launched an operation to track down the kidnappers.
Authorities intercepted a vehicle believed to be linked to the abduction that overturned during a pursuit, though Kittleson was not inside, the ministry said. Local media reported she was taken near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street.
A U.S. official told Al‑Monitor that the State Department is aware of the kidnapping and is working with Iraqi authorities to secure her release.
“We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release,” the independent news outlet said in a statement.
The officials said the kidnapping involved two vehicles. One of the cars overturned during the operation and was intercepted by security forces, while a second vehicle fled the scene carrying the journalist and headed south of Baghdad.
The Interior Ministry said security forces launched an operation to track down the kidnappers after intercepting one of the vehicles involved in the abduction. The statement said the operation was based on “precise intelligence and intensive field operations.”
One suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, according to the ministry, but other suspects remain at large.
It was not immediately clear whether the kidnapping was linked to the ongoing regional conflict, though Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched frequent attacks on U.S. facilities in the country since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Since the beginning of the conflict, the U.S. Embassy has warned of heightened kidnapping risks and has urged American citizens to leave Iraq.
Foreigners have been kidnapped by Iraqi militias in the past, including before the current war.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton University graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After her release in September 2025, she told U.S. authorities that she had been held by the Iran-aligned Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah. The group never officially claimed responsibility for her kidnapping.
Iraqi officials have not said whether the current case is connected to any armed group or political faction.
Who is Shelly Kittleson?
Shelly Kittleson is an American freelance journalist who has reported for years from conflict‑affected regions, including Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. Her work has appeared in outlets such as the BBC, Al‑Monitor, Politico, Foreign Policy and New Lines Magazine, with a focus on security issues, militias and the impact of war on civilians. Kittleson has been based in Iraq for much of her reporting and has covered topics ranging from the fight against the Islamic State to Iran‑backed armed groups operating in the country.
This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.