Post by : Shakul

Award-winning US freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped by unidentified armed men in Baghdad on Tuesday, according to reports by Al-Monitor and Iraqi officials. The US embassy had previously warned of kidnapping risks amid ongoing regional tensions.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed that a foreign journalist had been abducted, adding that security forces pursued one of the vehicles used in the incident. During the chase, the vehicle overturned, allowing authorities to apprehend one suspect and seize the car, while a second vehicle carrying Kittleson escaped south of Baghdad. Investigations are ongoing.

A video circulated by Al Arabiya shows armed men forcibly removing Kittleson from her vehicle on a busy street, although the clip’s authenticity could not be independently verified. It remains unclear whether the abduction is linked to the ongoing US-Israeli conflict with Iran, though Iran-backed militias in Iraq have previously targeted foreigners and US facilities.

This incident recalls prior kidnappings, such as that of Princeton graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov in 2023 by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-allied Iraqi militia. US authorities are closely monitoring the situation, urging all citizens in Iraq to exercise extreme caution.

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