American journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Baghdad | CNN Politics

American journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, on Tuesday, sources and her media outlet said. The US government is tracking her kidnapping and working with the Iraqis to secure her release, a US official said. It is unclear who is responsible for her abduction, but sources said that she was warned of threats against her, including kidnapping, from Iranian proxy group Kataib Hezbollah. US Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson said in a post on X that “an individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities.” Kataib Hezbollah is an Iranian-backed militia group that has repeatedly targeted Americans. Kittleson is a journalist specializing in the Middle East and Afghanistan, with work published in international, US and Italian outlets. According to one source familiar with the warning, the US government recently warned Kittleson of a Kataib Hezbollah plot to kidnap or kill her. The warning came while she was already reporting in Iraq. Another source said that US and Iraqi officials had been tracking threats by an Iranian proxy against Kittleson