Iraqi armed group says it will release abducted US journalist, says she must leave Iraq immediately

BAGHDAD, April 7 (Reuters) – Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi armed group affiliated with Iran, said on Tuesday that kidnapped US journalist Shelly Kittleson will be released and that she should leave Iraq immediately.

Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad in late March.

Middle East news site Al-Monitor said Kittleson was a US freelance journalist living in Rome, covering many wars in the region and contributing articles to the publication.

A video purporting to show Kittleson was shared on Tuesday by a social media outlet close to Kataib Hezbollah.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the video; If confirmed, this would be the first footage of Kittleson released since his abduction.

In the video, a woman who identifies herself as Kittleson stands in front of a plain background and speaks English directly to the camera. Reuters could not confirm when or where the film was shot.

His release followed intense efforts by the Iraqi government and several influential Shiite leaders to put pressure on the militia group to secure his freedom, a government official with knowledge of the situation told Reuters.

In March 2023, Israeli-Russian graduate student Elizabeth Tsurkov from Princeton University was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah militia during a research trip to Iraq. He was released in 2025.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Matthew Lewis)