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American journalist Shelly Kittleson, 49, was freed Tuesday afternoon in Baghdad, more than a week after she was snatched from a street corner in the Iraqi capital on 31 March. US and Iraqi officials confirmed the release, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio issuing a formal statement early Wednesday.
"We are relieved that this American is now freed and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq," Rubio wrote on X, also thanking Iraqi authorities, the FBI, the US Defense Department, and other American agencies for their efforts in securing her release.
Iraqi officials, speaking anonymously because they were not authorised to comment publicly, confirmed she had been held in Baghdad prior to her release but did not disclose her precise whereabouts following it.
What Did Marco Rubio Say?
Here's what Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X
"I am pleased to announce the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was recently kidnapped by members of the foreign terrorist organization Kata’ib Hizballah near Baghdad, Iraq.
The U.S. Department of State extends its appreciation to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of War, U.S. personnel across multiple agencies, and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and our Iraqi partners, for their assistance in securing her release.
This resolution reflects the Trump Administration's steadfast commitment to the safety and security of American citizens, no matter where they are in the world.
Under President Trump, the wrongful detention or kidnapping of U.S. nationals will not be tolerated. We will continue to use every tool to bring Americans home and to hold accountable those responsible.
We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq."
Kataib Hezbollah Claims Credit — and Issues a Warning
The militia Kataib Hezbollah, a powerful Iran-backed armed faction operating within Iraq, had until its Tuesday statement not publicly acknowledged any role in the abduction — even as both US and Iraqi officials had squarely blamed the group for the kidnapping.
In its statement, the group said its decision to free Kittleson came "in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing" Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. It offered no further elaboration on that reasoning.
The militia also attached a condition to the release: Kittleson must "leave the country immediately." And in language that left little room for ambiguity, it declared that "this initiative will not be repeated in the future" — a pointed signal to Washington that goodwill of this kind should not be expected again.
The Prisoner Exchange: What Iraq Agreed To
Two officials within Kataib Hezbollah, speaking anonymously as they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly, told the Associated Press that the release was not unconditional. In exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the militia who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities were to be released.
Iraqi security officials had earlier indicated that Baghdad was prepared to free up to six Kataib Hezbollah detainees — most of them held in connection with attacks on a US base in Syria — in exchange for the journalist's freedom.
How the Kidnapping Happened? Why Negotiations Were So Difficult?
Kittleson was abducted on 31 March from a Baghdad street corner. Iraqi authorities said two vehicles were involved in the operation, one of which crashed during a police pursuit near the town of al-Haswa in Babil province, south-west of Baghdad. She was transferred to a second car, which escaped the scene.
Negotiations to secure her release were far from straightforward. Three Iraqi officials — two from the security services and one from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework political bloc — told the AP that efforts had repeatedly hit walls, largely because Kataib Hezbollah's senior leadership had effectively vanished.
"The primary challenge is that the leaders of the Kataib militia — specifically, the commanders of the battalions — are nowhere to be found. No one knows their whereabouts, and the process of establishing contact with them is extremely complex," the security officials said. "These leaders have gone underground, maintaining no active lines of communication, out of fear of being targeted," they added.
A member of the Popular Mobilization Forces — a coalition of Iran-backed militias nominally integrated into the Iraqi military — had been tasked with serving as an intermediary, but struggled to reach Kataib's command structure.
Who Is Shelly Kittleson? A Veteran Journalist of Iraq and Syria
Kittleson had spent years living and working abroad, using Rome as a base while building a reputation as a serious, experienced correspondent across some of the most dangerous conflict zones in the Middle East — particularly Iraq and Syria. Like many freelance journalists operating in war zones, she worked with limited resources and without the institutional support that large news organisations extend to their staff reporters.
She had re-entered Iraq shortly before her abduction. US officials have since said they warned her repeatedly about the security threat she faced, but that she chose not to leave. It is a decision that reflects both the professional commitment and the personal risk that define the lives of journalists who cover wars the world would otherwise not see.
A Pattern of Kidnappings: The Case of Elizabeth Tsurkov
Kittleson is not the first foreigner to have been held by Kataib Hezbollah, though the group has consistently declined to formally acknowledge its role in such cases. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student holding Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After being freed and handed over to US authorities in September 2025, she stated that she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah throughout her captivity. The group never claimed responsibility for her abduction either.
Iran-backed militias in Iraq, including Kataib Hezbollah, have also carried out sustained attacks on US facilities across the country since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war on Iran — a conflict that has deepened the volatility of an already combustible operating environment for foreign journalists and diplomats alike.
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