BAGHDAD — Shelly Kittleson, the American journalist who was kidnapped last week in Baghdad, has been officially designated as a hostage, U.S. officials told The Washington Post on Tuesday. She is believed to be alive and held by local paramility group with ties to Iran, Iraqi officials told The Post Monday.
Kittleson, who has reported from across the Middle East for several U.S.-based news organizations, has not been seen or heard from since her abduction on March 31. Her condition is unknown.
U.S. and Iraqi officials believe she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah in Jurf al-Sakhar, its stronghold some 40 miles south of Baghdad, possibly to stop U.S. airstrikes there, according to three people familiar with the situation. The people, two of whom are Iraqi security officials, each spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter. Kittleson was officially designated as a hostage, according to two U.S. officials who also spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the situation.
Kataib Hezbollah, considered the most powerful militia in Iraq, has not publicly claimed responsibility for her kidnapping, offered proof she is alive or made demands in exchange for her release.
The FBI, which is coordinating the effort to secure her release, and the State Department, which is assisting, declined to comment Monday.
U.S. officials are pushing their Iraqi counterparts to take action against the Shiite Muslim militia, the people said. Influential Shiite politicians in the region are in contact with the group and trying to win Kittleson’s freedom.
Kataib Hezbollah is legally part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, formed a dozen years ago to fight the Islamic State. But in practice, it’s armed and controlled by the supreme leader of Iran.
Amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, U.S. forces in recent weeks have launched airstrikes on Jurf and killed militia members, the people familiar with the situation said. Since Kittleson’s abduction, they said, the strikes have stopped.
The State Department said last week she had been warned of security risks multiple times, including on the day before she was kidnapped. The department advises U.S. citizens against traveling to Iraq and urges those who are here to leave.
Journalism groups, human rights advocates and the family of missing American journalist Austin Tice have demanded Kittleson’s immediate release and accountability for her captors.
The FBI is coordinating the effort to secure her release through its Washington Field Office and the multiagency Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, which it leads. The State Department and its Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs are assisting.
Nover, Taylor, and Roebuck reported from Washington.
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