US Journalist Snatched From Baghdad Street

An American journalist was kidnapped on Tuesday in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, Iraqi officials said. The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she worked for. A US official blamed the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, the AP reports. The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed a foreign journalist had been kidnapped but didn't give more details.

• Two Iraqi security officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed while being pursued near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was then transferred to a second car that fled the scene.

• The interior ministry said security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers, and intercepted a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee. One suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but others remain on the loose, the statement said.
• The two Iraqi security officials said the journalist was abducted in central Baghdad's Saadoun Street, and that an alert was sent to all checkpoints, leading to the pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed toward Babil province. A CCTV video broadcast on Iraqi TV appeared to show the moment Kittleson was bundled into a car near the Baghdad Hotel, which is popular with foreign journalists, the Times of London reports.
• Al-Monitor, a regional news site covering the Middle East, said it was "deeply alarmed" and identified the journalist as Kittleson, a freelancer who contributed to the publication. "We call for her safe and immediate release," the statement said. "We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work." Kittleson, a longtime freelancer in the region, has also contributed to outlets including the BBC and Politico.

• Dylan Johnson, US assistant secretary of state for public affairs, said on X that the "State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them." "An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizbollah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities," Johnson added.
• Earlier this month, the US Embassy in Baghdad said all American citizens should leave Iraq immediately, citing attacks on facilities owned by the US and its allies, the New York Times reports.
• "I can confirm that my friend Shelly Kittleson was abducted and may have taken hostage in Baghdad by Khatib Hezbollah," former Pentagon official Alex Plitsas said on X. "Whereabouts and condition unknown. I am her designated U.S. point of contact." In another post, he said: "Shelly is one of the kindest people you'll ever meet. She is religious and doesn't have a mean bone in her body."