• Source:JND
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Shelley Kittleson, a US journalist, was kidnapped by unidentified persons in Iraq's capital, Baghdad on Tuesday. Iraq's Interior Ministry confirmed the incident, saying a foreign journalist has been kidnapped in the country.

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What Have Iraqi Police Said?

Police sources said they were still chasing the vehicle in which she was taken by force by four men in civilian clothes. The search is focused on the eastern part of the capital where the kidnappers' vehicle was headed, police sources added. 

Without identifying the journalist or giving further details on her nationality, the Interior Ministry said security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers. It said they intercepted a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee.

One Suspect Arrested

One suspect was arrested, and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but others remain on the loose, it added.

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Who Is Shelley Kittleson?

Kittleson is a US award-winning freelance journalist. According to Al-Monitor, the Trump administration was aware of the threat against her, and it had advised her not to travel to Iraq. An Israeli-Russian graduate student from Princeton University was kidnapped by an Iran-aligned Shi'ite militia group during a research trip to Iraq in March 2023 and was released in 2025.

Kittleson, who specialises in conflict reporting from the Middle East (especially Iraq and Syria), covers security issues, wars, post-conflict situations, the Islamic State (ISIS), pro-Iran militias, Kurdish affairs, and frontline developments in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan. She primarily contributes to outlets such as Al-Monitor, New Lines Magazine, Politico, BBC World Service, Al Majalla, and Italian media (including RAI radio documentaries and ANSA). A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Baghdad declined to comment.

(With Agencies inputs)


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