Kataib Hezbollah says it will release kidnapped US journalist

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Iran-aligned militia Kataib Hezbollah said Tuesday it will release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was abducted near the Palestine Hotel on Saadoun Street in central Baghdad in late March.

In a statement, the group’s security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, said, “In appreciation of the national positions of the outgoing prime minister, we decided to release the American detainee Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately.”

He added that “this initiative will not be repeated in the coming days,” saying the group considers itself “in a state of war waged by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam,” and that “in such cases, many considerations fall.”

Kittleson is an award-winning journalist who has reported from the Middle East for outlets including Al-Monitor, BBC, Politico and Foreign Policy.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad has repeatedly warned American citizens of kidnapping risks in Iraq, citing threats from Iran-aligned armed groups amid the ongoing regional war.