The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement on Tuesday that it will release American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad street corner last week.
The group said its decision came “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing Prime Minister” Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, without giving more details. It added that “this initiative will not be repeated in future.”
Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged that it was the one responsible for Kittleson’s abduction, although both U.S. and Iraqi officials had pointed fingers at the group.
PREVIOUS REPORTING | Journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Iraq. An Iran-aligned militia is demanding ransom
Kittleson, 49, has lived abroad for years, using Rome as her base for a time and building a respected journalism career across the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Like many freelancers, she often worked on a shoestring budget and without the protections afforded by large news organizations to staff.
She had entered Iraq again shortly before her abduction. U.S. officials have said that they warned her multiple times of threats against her, but that she did not want to leave.
Iraqi officials have said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed while being pursued near the town of al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was then transferred to a second car that fled the scene.
