Shelly Kittleson US journalist feared to be kidnapped by Iran pro forces in Baghdad during brazen daylight kidnapping. Alleged abduction comes amid heightened regional conflict amid US-Israel war in Iran. Reporter’s current whereabouts remains unknown.
An American freelance journalist known for her coverage of conflict‑affected regions in the Mid-East was on Tuesday kidnapped as US officials now seek to trace her whereabouts and secure her release.
Shelly Kittleson was abducted on Tuesday in Baghdad by unidentified individuals, according to Iraq’s Interior Ministry, which said security forces launched an operation to track down the kidnappers.
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U.S journalist abducted in broad daylight in Baghdad
A video aired by the Al Arabiya channel, shows the initial moments of the alleged kidnapping incident. The clip shows armed men stopping Kittleson’s car on a busy street in broad daylight, pulling her out and fleeing.
Authorities intercepted a vehicle believed to be linked to the abduction that overturned during a pursuit, though Kittleson was not inside, the ministry said. Local media reported she was taken near the Baghdad Hotel on Saadoun Street.
A U.S. official told Al‑Monitor whom Kittleson was contributing on behalf, that the State Department is aware of the kidnapping and is working with Iraqi authorities to secure her release.
‘We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release,’ the independent news outlet said in a statement.
Interior Ministry launch operation to track kidnappers
The officials said the kidnapping involved two vehicles. One of the cars overturned during the operation and was intercepted by security forces, while a second vehicle fled the scene carrying the journalist and headed south of Baghdad.
The Interior Ministry said security forces launched an operation to track down the kidnappers after intercepting one of the vehicles involved in the abduction. The statement said the operation was based on ‘precise intelligence and intensive field operations.’
One suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, according to the ministry, but other suspects remain at large.
Is US reporter’s abduction linked to current Iran war?
Not immediately clear is whether Kittleson’s alleged kidnapping is linked to the current regional conflict involving the US and Israel’s attack on Iran. The incident comes as Iran-backed militias in Iraq launching frequent attacks on U.S. facilities in the country in relation of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.
The U.S. Embassy has warned of heightened kidnapping risks and has urged American citizens to leave Iraq.
Iraqi officials have not said whether the current case is connected to any armed group or political faction.
Iraqi militias had also kidnapped foreigners before the war.
Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After she was freed and handed over to US authorities in September 2025, she said that she had been held by the Iran-allied Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.
The group never officially claimed responsibility for kidnapping her.
Who is Shelly Kittleson?
Kittleson a US award-winning journalist is best known for her ongoing reports in the conflict marred region, including Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan. The reporter hails from rural Wisconsin.
Her work has appeared in outlets such as the BBC, Al‑Monitor, Politico, Foreign Policy and New Lines Magazine, with a focus on security issues, militias and the impact of war on civilians. Kittleson has been based in Iraq for much of her reporting and has covered topics ranging from the fight against the Islamic State to Iran‑backed armed groups operating in the country.
