US Journalist Kidnapped in Baghdad: Shelly Kittleson

0:00On April 1st, a U.S. journalist named Shelley Kiddelsen got kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq on Tuesday. She's a freelancer with over 15 years covering the Middle East for places like Politico, Foreign Policy, and the BBC. Iraqi officials say it happened on Sadun Street in Central Baghdad, with kidnappers using two cars that headed southwest toward Babel Province. Security forces chased them down after putting out alerts at checkpoints. One vehicle crashed near the town of Al-Haswa, but the car with Kiddelsen sped off. So far, they've nabbed one suspect, and they're running operations based on solid intel to track her and the rest. Kiddelsen is an award-winning reporter who's done vital work in tough spots. The U.S. State Department says American safeties are top priority, noting they warned her about threats beforehand. They're coordinating with the FBI and blaming Iranian-backed militia Katayev Hezbollah. Iraq's at the highest travel advisory level four, so officials urge Americans to get out now and avoid the country entirely.

1:02A news outlet she writes for, called the whole thing deeply alarming and demanded her quick release so she can keep reporting. Efforts are ramping up with field ops across the region, but it's unclear if this ties into the bigger Middle East tensions. We'll stay on it as updates come in. From around the world, powered by AI, this is Global News Today.