US Journalist Shelly Kittleson Freed by Iraqi Militia
Shelly Kittleson, a 49-year-old American freelance journalist, has been released from captivity in Iraq after being kidnapped by the Iran-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah on March 31. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed her release, which reportedly occurred as part of a prisoner exchange involving several detained members of the militia. Her mother, Barb Kittleson, expressed relief and hope that her daughter will return to their home in rural Wisconsin, where she had not lived since leaving for Italy in 1995. The kidnapping took place on Saadoun Street in central Baghdad. This incident follows a similar abduction of Elizabeth Tsurkov in 2023 by the same group. While U.S. officials are limiting contact with the family for security reasons, the mother sent an email from a local library expressing her desire for her daughter's safe return.
Wire timeline
US Journalist Shelly Kittleson Freed by Iraqi Militia
Shelly Kittleson, a 49-year-old American freelance journalist, has been released from captivity in Iraq after being kidnapped by the Iran-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah on March 31. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed her release, which reportedly occurred as part of a prisoner exchange involving several detained members of the militia. Her mother, Barb Kittleson, expressed relief and hope that her daughter will return to their home in rural Wisconsin, where she had not lived since leaving for Italy in 1995. The kidnapping took place on Saadoun Street in central Baghdad. This incident follows a similar abduction of Elizabeth Tsurkov in 2023 by the same group. While U.S. officials are limiting contact with the family for security reasons, the mother sent an email from a local library expressing her desire for her daughter's safe return.
AP News