American journalist Shelly Kittleson being released after she was kidnapped in Iraq, militia says

A spokesperson for the Kata’ib Hezbollah militia said in a post on the group’s Telegram messaging app channel that Kittleson was being released on the condition that she leave Iraq immediately.

Her whereabouts were not immediately clear.

Alex Plitsas, Kittleson’s designated point of contact in the U.S. and a CNN national security analyst, previously told CBS News the U.S. government had warned Kittleson about a specific threat against her by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed paramilitary group that was allegedly looking to kidnap or kill female journalists. 

Kittleson was contacted multiple times with warnings of threats against her, including as recently as the night before she was abducted, a U.S. official had told CBS News.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.