American journalist Shelly Kittleson was released in Iraq on Tuesday, one week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad, according to Iraqi officials and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A senior Iraqi government official told CNN that authorities had received Kittleson and were arranging her travel. Rubio later confirmed her release, saying the U.S. was “working to support her safe departure from Iraq.”
Her abduction and release efforts
Kittleson had been taken captive by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia in Iraq. The group said in a Telegram post that it released her on the condition that she leave Iraq immediately.
Her exact whereabouts were not immediately clear.
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Before she was abducted, U.S. officials had warned Kittleson about a Kataib Hezbollah threat, including concern that she could be kidnapped or killed while reporting in Iraq, according to CBS News.
Kittleson, a Middle East reporter, was abducted in Baghdad on March 31.
After her kidnapping, the FBI said its Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell worked with other U.S. agencies to help secure her release. Rubio later thanked the FBI, the Defense Department, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council and other U.S. and Iraqi partners for assisting in the effort.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency was “thrilled” by Kittleson’s release and described the effort as a team operation involving the State Department, the Defense Department and other federal partners.
The abduction drew concern from press freedom groups and media organizations. CNN reported that Al-Monitor, where Kittleson is a contributor, called for her safe and immediate release, while the Committee to Protect Journalists urged Iraqi authorities to take all necessary measures to free her.
