American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Iraq’s capital Baghdad on Tuesday. Shaili was abducted by unknown assailants near the Baghdad Hotel on Al-Sadoun Street. A video related to this incident is also going viral in which the criminals are seen forcibly dragging the journalist into the car. Iraq’s Interior Ministry also confirmed the incident, although it did not make the journalist’s identity public. The ministry issued a statement saying that a foreign journalist was kidnapped by unknown people, after which security forces were immediately sent to take action. She was reporting for the news website Al-Monitor for some time. According to the same website, the US government had also advised the journalist not to travel to Iraq due to security reasons. Shelly Kittleson is known for her reporting in war zones and received the Premio Caravella Award in 2017. She has mainly been reporting on the Middle East, especially Iraq and Syria. One accused arrested but no trace of the journalist. According to the Home Ministry, security forces chased the kidnappers on the basis of intelligence. During this time, a vehicle being used in kidnapping overturned, due to which one accused was arrested and some vehicles were also seized. However, the other vehicle carrying the journalist fled the scene and headed towards the south of Baghdad. Two Iraqi security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the kidnapped journalist was an American woman. A video of the incident has also surfaced, in which armed people are seen stopping his car and forcibly taking him out. Saudi Arabia’s channel Al-Arabiya has shared the video of this alleged kidnapping on social media. Accusation on Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah: At present it is not clear whether this incident is related to the ongoing war in the Middle East or not. However, experts believe that Iran-backed militia groups in Iraq have previously targeted foreign citizens and American interests. CNN-affiliated war expert Alex Pleitas claimed on social media that Kittelson was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia backed by Iran. However, this claim has not been officially confirmed. This group is considered close to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In Iraq it is part of the Popular Mobilization Force (PMF). The PMF was given official status by the Government of Iraq during the fight against ISIS. American freelance journalist Shelly Kittelson, who became famous by doing the story after the defeat of ISIS, is counted among those reporters who do ground reporting from the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. His work has primarily focused on the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Syria. He has worked for many international media platforms. The main subjects of his reporting have been war and conflict, militia groups, the impact on local populations and humanitarian crises. Shelly Kittelson was most talked about for the reports in which she showed the situation in Iraq from the ground after the fall of ISIS (after 2017). At that time he had said in his report that after the defeat of ISIS, the struggle at the ground level has not ended and a vacuum of power remains. The local militia is trying to fill it. America had advised to leave Iraq. In view of the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, America has advised its citizens to leave the country. The US Embassy in Baghdad issued an advisory on March 29 asking all US citizens to leave Iraq as soon as possible. The embassy clearly said that it is very dangerous to stay in Iraq at this time. The risk of terrorism, kidnapping and violence has increased here. Even before this, in early March 2026, the US had issued a “Do Not Travel” (Level 4) warning for Iraq. It was said not to travel to Iraq under any circumstances. Elizabeth Tsurkov, a foreign national kidnapped in Iraq before, went missing from Baghdad in 2023, later confirmed to be in the capture of a militia group. (Her status as of 2026 is still unclear; her release has not been publicly confirmed) Jill Carroll – In 2006, American journalist Jill was kidnapped while reporting. The man who worked with him was murdered, although he was released after 3 months. Giuliana Sgraina- In 2005, Italian journalist was taken hostage by militants and kept in captivity for about a month. Was later released. Junpei Yasuda – Japanese journalist kidnapped in 2004 on suspicion of espionage, although released within a few days. Iraq’s position in the Press Freedom Index is worrisome. According to the latest report of the international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Iraq has been ranked 155th out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index for 2025. Although this shows a slight improvement compared to previous years, the situation is still a matter of concern. The report has placed Iraq in the ‘very serious’ category. This means that journalists have to face many types of dangers and pressures while working there.
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