Kataib Hezbollah Releases Abducted U.S. Journalist Shelly Kittleson from Iraq

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Tuesday that American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed after being held captive by Iran-aligned Iraqi militia group Kataib Hezbollah. Kittleson, who was abducted in late March in Baghdad, is now safe and in the process of leaving Iraq.

Rubio credited a coordinated effort involving officials from the Pentagon, the FBI, and the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council for making the release possible. "We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq," he stated. Kataib Hezbollah had announced earlier that day it would free Kittleson, on the condition that she immediately leave the country.

According to a government source familiar with the matter, her release was the result of sustained diplomatic pressure applied by the Iraqi government and key Shi'ite religious leaders, who urged the militia to let her go. The behind-the-scenes negotiations proved critical in resolving the hostage crisis without further incident.

Kittleson is described by Middle East news outlet Al-Monitor as a Rome-based journalist with extensive experience covering conflicts across the region and a contributor to their platform. A video believed to show Kittleson was shared Tuesday by a social media account affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah, though Reuters was unable to independently confirm its authenticity or when it was recorded. In the footage, a woman who identifies herself as Kittleson speaks directly to the camera in English.

This case draws comparisons to that of Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian Princeton University graduate student who was similarly kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah during a research visit to Iraq in March 2023 and was released in 2025. The repeated targeting of foreign nationals by the militia group continues to raise serious concerns over safety and security in the region.