US journalist abducted in Iraq was 'stressed out' by kidnap training: Colleague
US journalist abducted in Iraq was 'stressed out' by kidnap training: Colleague
DESIREE ADIB and BILL HUTCHINSONThu, April 2, 2026 at 9:49 PM UTC
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As the search continued in Iraq on Thursday for American journalist Shelly Kittleson, whom U.S. and Iraqi authorities say was kidnapped in Baghdad, a colleague described her as a resilient reporter who knew the country well and was careful to avoid danger.
"I do think she was certainly targeted because she's American. So that's a huge factor," Kiran Nazish, director of the Coalition for Women in Journalism, told ABC News. "Also, she is one of the very few journalists who go into the region. A lot of people know her. It's possible that she was on the radar."
@shellykittleson/X - PHOTO: Shelly Kittleson is seen in a photo from her X account.
Kittleson, a 49-year-old freelance journalist originally from Wisconsin, was abducted off a street in Baghdad in broad daylight on Tuesday, according to the Iraqi Ministry of Interior.
Nazish described Kittleson as not only "brilliant in her reporting" but someone who is "very vigilant and careful."
"She has a very strong, perhaps like the most I know of someone, network of trusted allies who would protect her and she would feel safe with, and I don't think she would go without that," Nazish said.
Nazish said that just a couple of weeks ago, Kittleson underwent hostile environment and first aid training (HEFAT).
"One of the things that is always done in HEFAT training is that you practice as a journalist ... in case you would be kidnapped," Nazish said. "She went through that and I know from some people who were with her in the training as well that it was hard for her to process that. And so in that particular part, she was a little stressed out."
The case remains under investigation, but the Iraqi interior ministry said Thursday there was no new information on Kittleson's whereabouts.
Security video verified by ABC News and confirmed by Iraq's interior ministry captured the moment Kittleson was kidnapped while standing on a sidewalk. The footage showed a silver car approach Kittleson as several people grabbed her and forced her into the vehicle before it sped away.
@shellykittleson/X - PHOTO: Shelly Kittleson is seen in a photo from her X account.
A second car allegedly involved in the abduction crashed as it tried to flee and one occupant was arrested by Iraqi security forces, according to Dylan Johnson, U.S. assistant secretary of state for global public affairs.
The suspect under arrest has ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hezbollah, Johnson said in a statement Tuesday.
As the search for Kittleson continued on Thursday, U.S. officials issued a new warning to Americans still in Iraq, advising them to leave the country immediately as Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may "intend to conduct attacks" in central Baghdad.
The new alert comes as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has entered its second month.
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"Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran may intend to conduct attacks in central Baghdad in the next 24-48 hours," states the warning from the United States Embassy and Consulate in Iraq. "Iran and Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR)."
Johnson said in his statement this week that the State Department had warned Kittleson "multiple times" of threats against her and was coordinating with the FBI to ensure her release.
But Nazish said threats against journalists working in Iraq and across the Middle East are common and that Kittleson had been threatened before.
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"Working with Shelly and knowing her over the years, we do know that ... she would often get threats," Nazish said.
Nazish said she spoke to Kittleson, who was based in Rome, by phone on Wednesday or Thursday of last week, but more about personal issues.
"We do know that Shelly was coordinating with colleagues and other people, including sources, to work on a story that she wanted to work on, which required her to go into Iraq to speak to a few families," Nazish said.
Nazish said it remains unclear if Kittleson had been commissioned by a news outlet to work on the story in Iraq.
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Al-Monitor,a Washington, D.C.-based news website covering the Middle East, which Kittleson contributed to, issued a statement this week calling for her "safe and immediate release."
"We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday," the publication said. "We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work."
Nazish said Kittleson is passionate about her work in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria.
"Shelly has stuck around the region because she really cares about it and she really knows the region. What I also know about Shelly is that she's very well-connected," said Nazish, adding that Kittleson spoke Arabic and would often work on a shoestring budget. "People in the region know Shelly as someone who has been there and she's really built trust with different communities."
Source: “AOL Breaking”
