American journalist released a week after being kidnapped in Iraq

Freelancer Shelly Kittleson was reportedly held by Iran-backed militia which says she must now leave country The US journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad street corner last week, has been released, the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced on Tuesday. “We are relieved that this American is now free and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq,” he said on social media. The powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement earlier in the day it had decided to free Kittleson, who was abducted on 31 March. 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: “This initiative will not be repeated in the future.” The statement added a condition – that Kittleson must “leave the country immediately” upon her release. Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged that it was the one responsible for Kittleson’s abduction, although US and Iraqi officials had pointed fingers at the group. Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly