Shiite radicals release US journalist Kittleson abducted in Iraq

TUNIS, April 7. /TASS/. The Shiite group Kataib Hezbollah has announced the release of American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who was abducted in Iraq, demanding that she leave the Arab Republic immediately, the Shafaq News portal reported on Tuesday. The portal cited the group's security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, as saying that the decision was made "in appreciation of the national positions of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani." The journalist, who holds US citizenship, was abducted on March 31 in the center of Baghdad near the hotel where she was staying. Kittleson worked in Baghdad for a long time, covering mainly Iraqi armed groups, US-Iraqi relations, and regional security developments. Later, the US Department of State confirmed reports that the journalist had been abducted. The Washington Post reported earlier in the day citing some people familiar with the situation that US and Iraqi officials believed she was being held by "Kataib Hezbollah in Jurf al-Sakhar, its stronghold, some 40 miles south of Baghdad, possibly to stop US airstrikes there." According to the US daily "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." "Amid the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, US 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 daily added.