American Journalist Shelly Kittleson Freed After Kidnapping By Iran-Backed Militia In Iraq

on Apr 07, 2026

As the deadline looms for a deal between the U.S. and Iran, the kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson was released by an Iranian-backed group in Iraq.

As the April 7 deadline looms for a deal between the U.S. and Iran, the kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson was released by an Iranian-backed group in Iraq. (Photo: Shelly Kittleson / Facebook)

Kittleson Was Released After 8 Days In Captivity

Eight days ago, on March 31, American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Iraq while reporting on ongoing conflict in the Middle East region.

Today, on April 7, Kittleson, age 49, was released, with an anonymous Iraqi official telling the Associated Press that her release follows her detainment in Baghdad, Iraq.

A statement was released by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, which stated the release was being done “in appreciation of the patriotic stances” of outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Further, Kataib Hezbollah said that Kittleson must leave the country of Iraq immediately upon release.

Kataib Hezbollah is affiliated with the Iranian Quds Force, which is part of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

It remains unclear if the looming deadline of 8 p.m. EST on April 7 that President Donald Trump has given Iran for a deal to be made played a role in her being set free.

This morning, President Trump posted on Truth Social, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

See Trump’s full post, here:

*On April 7, President Donald Trump reiterated the scale of the assault that may face Iran if a deal is not met by 8 p.m. that day. (Image: Donald Trump / Truth Social)*

Over the past few weeks, Iranian officials have reportedly struggled to find common ground with U.S. negotiators, with a 45-day ceasefire in the war in Iran potentially remaining on the table.

During a news conference on April 6, President Trump spoke at length on the conflict, expressing his desire for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened, stating, “We have to have a deal that’s acceptable to me, and part of that deal is going to be, we want free traffic of oil and everything else.”

Kittleson’s release was much earlier than another recent kidnapping conducted by Kataib Hezbollah, which saw Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov be held captive for 903 days, from 2023 to 2025.

As of the afternoon of April 7, Kittleson has not yet released a statement.

Prior to being kidnapped, Kittleson’s last post on social media was a link to one of her stories, published on the Substack Middle East Uncovered, which can be seen, here: