US Journalist Shelly Kittleson Released by Iraqi Armed Group

Iraqi Armed Group Releases US Journalist on Certain Conditions

Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed armed group in Iraq, has announced that it will release Shelly Kittleson, a 49-year-old US journalist who was abducted in Baghdad on March 31. The group stated that Kittleson’s release is contingent upon her departure from Iraq immediately.

According to an anonymous Iraqi official, the decision to release Kittleson was made in response to the national stance of outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The details of this decision were not provided by the group.

Kittleson had been held in detention in Baghdad during her abduction. In exchange for her release, several imprisoned Kataib Hezbollah members were reportedly released, according to anonymous sources within the militia.

Several publications that Kittleson worked for have praised her commitment to covering conflicts in the Middle East. The Committee to Protect Journalists has also called for her swift return and condemned her kidnapping as an “alarming breach of journalists’ safety”.

US officials had previously warned Kittleson of threats to her safety, but she had declined to leave Iraq. The release of Kittleson comes amid heightened tensions in Iraq, where Iran-backed groups have been involved in attacks on US forces.

To facilitate the release, security officials used a representative from the Popular Mobilisation Forces to communicate with Kataib Hezbollah. However, establishing contact with the group’s leaders has proven challenging due to their secrecy and lack of communication channels.

Source: Al Jazeera