American journalist released a week after after being kidnapped in Iraq

Shelly Kittleson, a freelance reporter, was reportedly held in Baghdad and must leave country now, Iraqi official says

US journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was kidnapped from a Baghdad street corner last week, has been released, according to an Iraqi official with direct knowledge of the situation.

Kittleson was freed in the afternoon, said the official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly. He did not share her current whereabouts but said that prior to her release, she had been held in Baghdad.