BAGHDAD — The Iran-backed militia that kidnapped U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad released her Tuesday in a prisoner swap with Iraq, Iraqi officials said.
“In appreciation of the national positions of the outgoing Prime Minister, we have decided to release the American detainee, Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with Kataib Hezbollah, wrote on Telegram. “This initiative will not be repeated again in the coming days. We are in a state of war resembling that imposed by the American enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are set aside.”
