Iraq's powerful Kataeb Hezbollah armed group announced Tuesday it would release US journalist Shelly Kittleson a week after her kidnapping in Baghdad. The Iran-backed group conditioned her release on immediate departure from Iraq.
"In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately," said Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official in the Iran-backed group.
The group described this as an exceptional gesture during what it called a state of war launched by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam. A senior Iraqi security official previously arrested a member of a pro-Iran group believed connected to the abduction. Washington confirmed the suspect was linked to Kataeb Hezbollah, which the US has blacklisted.