U.S. journalist kidnapped in Baghdad, security forces tracking down captors, Iraqi officials say

By — Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter U.S. journalist kidnapped in Baghdad, security forces tracking down captors, Iraqi officials say World Mar 31, 2026 4:10 PM EDT BAGHDAD — An American journalist was kidnapped Tuesday in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, Iraqi officials said. The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she worked for. The Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement that a foreign journalist had been kidnapped, without giving more details about the person's identity. Two Iraqi security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case, said the kidnapped journalist was a woman with U.S. citizenship. READ MORE: NATO pulls security advisory mission out of Iraq after Iranian attacks on European bases They said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed and was apprehended while being pursued by authorities near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province southwest of Baghdad, and the journalist was transferred to a second car that fled the scene. The interior ministry said that security forces had launched an operation to track down the kidnappers, "acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations" after intercepting a vehicle belonging to the kidnappers that overturned as they tried to flee. One suspect was arrested and one of the vehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but others remain on the loose, the statement said. The two security sources said the journalist was kidnapped from central Baghdad, on Saadoun Street. They added that an alert was circulated to all checkpoints, leading to a pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed southwest of Baghdad toward Babil province. Al-Monitor, a regional news site covering the Mid...