Shelly Kittleson

Shelly Kittleson (born 1976 or 1977) is an American freelance journalist covering conflict and security issues in the Middle East. She was abducted on March 31, 2026, in Baghdad, Iraq, while on assignment near the Baghdad Hotel. U.S. and Iraqi officials said she had received warnings of potential threats prior to her abduction. The kidnapping was widely attributed to Kata'ib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia group, which reportedly demanded the release of detained members in exchange for her freedom. Iraqi authorities launched a security operation following the incident, and one suspect was arrested. She was released on April 7, 2026.

Kittleson is originally from Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, and grew up in Darlington, where she graduated from Darlington High School in 1995. She left Wisconsin at age 19 and moved to Italy, where she attended school and worked as a nanny, spending about a decade there. She later pursued journalism, reporting extensively on conflict, humanitarian issues, and security developments in the Middle East and Central Asia. Since around 2010, she has covered events in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, contributing to outlets including Al-Monitor, BBC, Politico, and Foreign Policy. She has been based in Rome, Italy; prior to her kidnapping, she had entered Iraq on a single-entry visa.

On March 31, 2026, Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad near the Baghdad Hotel while on assignment. According to officials, she had been warned of potential threats in the days leading up to the incident. Witness accounts, supported by video footage, indicated that armed individuals intercepted Kittleson on a street in Baghdad, approached her after a vehicle pulled up, and forced her into the car following a brief struggle before driving away. Iraqi authorities later located a vehicle believed to have been used in the kidnapping. The incident occurred amid heightened tensions involving Iranian-backed militias operating in Iraq.

Iraqi security forces launched an operation to locate Kittleson shortly after her disappearance. Authorities said the pursuit led to the interception of a vehicle used by the kidnappers, which crashed as they attempted to flee, and that one suspect was arrested in connection with the kidnapping. Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson stated that the U.S. State Department had "fulfilled [its] duty to warn" her and would continue coordinating with the FBI to secure her release. Press freedom organizations and media groups expressed alarm over the kidnapping. The Committee to Protect Journalists warned that the incident highlighted increasing risks for journalists in Iraq, while the National Press Club described the abduction as "alarming and unacceptable" and called for her immediate release.

Kittleson was released on April 7, 2026, after a week in captivity, under the condition that she leaves Iraq immediately. She was freed after Kata'ib Hezbollah secured the release of several detained members of the group from the Iraqi government. According to a security commander in the group, "We are in a state of war waged by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam and in such situations many considerations are disregarded."

• Elizabeth Tsurkov
• Foreign hostages in Iraq
• Iraq in the 2026 Iran war