(TNND) — Portions of the Middle East have certainly become more dangerous for Americans since the war with Iran began, including Iraq, where an American freelance journalist was kidnapped by an Iranian terrorist proxy this week.
Shelly Kittleson was abducted Tuesday in Baghdad.
American and Iraqi officials said Kittleson had been warned of the threats against her, and American officials warned all U.S. citizens to leave Iraq on Thursday.
Militias that are aligned with Iran might be planning attacks in Baghdad and have targeted Americans throughout Iraq. The militias might go after more associated locations, including businesses, hotels, airports, and diplomatic facilities, according to an alert from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad.
“This kidnapping is one example, but I think just in general, the risks are higher since the war began,” said veteran diplomat and foreign affairs expert Gordon Gray.
The Iraqi militia that officials believe took Kittleson has deep ties to Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, according to Gray, a former U.S. ambassador to Tunisia who now teaches at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University.
Officials believe Kittleson was abducted by members of Kataib Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that Gray said was established by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the wake of the U.S. invasion a couple of decades ago in Iraq.
Lebanese Hezbollah is another Iranian-supported terrorist group. Hezbollah in Arabic means “party of God,” and the two groups share a similar name, they’re both Shia, and they’re both supported by Iran.
Gray said the Iraqi group, Kataib Hezbollah, is perhaps even more closely aligned with Iran and the Revolutionary Guard.
Gray also said Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has seemingly grown in power since the war with the U.S. and Israel began a little over a month ago.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, depends on Revolutionary Guard support, Gray said. But Mojtaba Khamenei’s status is unclear, as he was wounded in the same airstrike that killed his father and other members of his family. Mojtaba Khamenei has stayed out of public view since he was elected to replace his slain father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. So, the Revolutionary Guard could be calling the shots in Iran even more than it was before.
Gray said the Revolutionary Guard still exerts considerable control on Kataib Hezbollah, which has attacked American targets, including the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, on Iran’s behalf.
The embassy’s security alert Thursday warned that militias have targeted Americans for kidnapping, but it was unclear if the warning was referring to Kittleson or others.
Gray said Kittleson was likely targeted by Kataib Hezbollah because she’s an American.
And he said the terrorists likely viewed her as a valuable bargaining chip because she’s a journalist.
The New York Times reported that Kataib Hezbollah is trying to trade Kittleson for detained militia members.
Gray said Iraq is in a difficult balancing act between Iran and the U.S. as it works to track down the terrorists suspected of taking Kittleson. Iran is a powerful neighbor right over Iraq’s shoulder to the east, but the U.S. is an important security partner. And Gray said Iraq hopes for investments from Sunni Gulf Arab states.
Iraqi security forces caught one of the suspects in the Kittleson abduction during the initial pursuit, and Iraqi officials vowed to be resolute in protecting foreigners in the country and in going after those who would target them.