Shelly Kittleson update: Iran-backed militia to free abducted US journalist

The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said Tuesday that it will release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad streetcorner last week, according to a statement issued by the group.

Kataib Hezbollah said the decision came “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing prime minister,” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, without elaborating. The group added that “this initiative will not be repeated in the future.”

The militia had not previously acknowledged responsibility for Kittleson’s abduction, though U.S. and Iraqi officials had publicly blamed the group.

Kittleson, 49, is a freelance journalist who has lived and worked across the Middle East for years, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Iraqi officials said she was taken by gunmen using two vehicles, one of which crashed while being pursued near al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad. They said she was then transferred to a second car that fled.

Three Iraqi officials said earlier Tuesday that efforts to secure her release had faced obstacles. One security official said a representative of the Popular Mobilization Forces had struggled to establish contact with Kataib Hezbollah’s leadership, which they said had gone underground. A political official said Iraqi authorities were willing to release detained Kataib Hezbollah members, though the group’s demands were unclear.

U.S. officials did not immediately comment. The State Department has said it is working with the FBI to secure Kittleson’s release.

This is a breaking news article. Updates to follow.

Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.