US Journalist Shelly Kittleson to Be Released by Pro-Iran Militia After Baghdad Kidnapping

On Tuesday, Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-aligned Iraqi militia, declared its intention to free US journalist Shelly Kittleson, insisting that she must exit Iraq immediately. Kittleson was taken hostage in late March on Baghdad's Saadoun Street. A video claiming to feature Kittleson was circulated by a social media platform linked to Kataib Hezbollah, although Reuters could not authenticate it; if validated, this would mark the first visual evidence of Kittleson since her kidnapping. As reported by Al-Monitor, Kittleson is a freelance journalist from the US residing in Rome, known for her coverage of multiple conflicts in the region and contributions to various publications.