The search for kidnapped US journalist Shelly Kittleson and her abductors is currently underway in the vicinity of Iraq's capital Baghdad, security officials familiar with the matter told The New Arab on Wednesday.
The investigation and pursuit are currently focused on areas within Babil Governorate, located south of Baghdad, after confirmation that the suspected kidnappers have moved there, the security officials added.
Kittelson, a freelance journalist whose work focuses on the Middle East and Afghanistan, was abducted late on Tuesday in the Iraqi capital’s Saadoun Street, amid deteriorating security conditions in the region following the US-Israeli war on Iran.
Kittelson has most notably worked for Al-Monitor and has been published by several other international outlets, including regular contributions for The New Arab .
Her kidnapping was confirmed by the US State Department, which said they were closely monitoring the case, as well as Iraq’s Ministry of Interior.
Kittelson was confirmed to be carrying a US passport at the time of her kidnapping.
At least one suspect, allegedly linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia, has been arrested. The kidnapping has been pinned on the Iran-backed group.
The Ministry of Interior said on Tuesday: "Security forces managed to apprehend one of the suspects and seize one of the vehicles used in the crime."
A security official also said investigations indicate that the kidnappers are linked to an armed faction within the Popular Mobilization Forces, but didn’t specify Kataib Hezbollah by name. He added that the arrested suspect was carrying "two identification cards, one security one, and another indicating an affiliation to an armed faction".
The privately owned website Shafaq News quoted a security source on 31 March as saying that the arrested suspect belonged to a security agency.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The security source told The New Arab : "Investigations are ongoing in the case, and the Iraqi authorities are continuing to track down the remaining individuals involved, most of whom are located in Babil Governorate, where the kidnappers' second car was spotted moving. However, the nature of the operation and its field complexities have slowed progress in the case, especially since information confirms that the kidnapped woman was taken to an area in Babil under the control of armed factions."
The Jurf al-Sakhr area, around 60 kilometres south of Baghdad, is considered one of the most prominent strongholds of armed factions in Babil Governorate. It is subject to strict restrictions imposed by these factions, most notably Kataib Hezbollah, making any government security operation there challenging.
Meanwhile, Khamis al-Khanjar, a prominent leader in the National Political Council, issued a statement condemning Kittelson's kidnapping and calling on security forces to act swiftly to free her and arrest those responsible.
Al-Khanjar said that "the kidnapping of foreign nationals residing in Iraq, in service of well-known foreign agendas, is a serious matter that cannot be ignored, nor can we tolerate any party seeking to make Iraq a hostile environment for media work or an open arena for crimes committed with impunity".
He called on the Iraqi security forces to "take the most urgent measures to ensure the release of the American journalist, and to act seriously and quickly to identify those involved in this crime and bring them to justice to receive their punishment according to the law."
Several international journalists, local bloggers, and activists have been kidnapped in Iraq over the years, where security threats from armed groups, instability, and economic and environmental issues are commonplace.
In a recent, high-profile case, the Russian-Israeli researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah in March 2023, before being released in September 2025.