After a week of being kidnapped in Baghdad and her release following complex negotiations, independent American journalist Shelly Kittleson found herself facing a new chapter of security risks—this time during efforts to evacuate her from Iraq.
Kittleson had been kidnapped on March 31 by Kataib Hezbollah, which is designated on the U.S. list of terrorist organizations, before being released on April 7.
At nine o’clock on the morning of April 8, explosions were heard near Baghdad Airport, where Victoria Base and the U.S. Embassy’s logistical support headquarters are located.
A source in Iraqi intelligence told Alhurra that “the attacks targeted the American security convoy that was transporting Kittleson to Baghdad International Airport,” which consisted of diplomats and American security personnel, some of whom were from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with an accompanying Iraqi force.
The plan had been to transfer Kittleson from the U.S. Embassy in the Green Zone to Baghdad International Airport via a direct express route approximately 12–13 kilometers long—a heavily secured distance largely covered by Iraqi security forces.
The move came amid prior U.S. warnings about the risks of targeting American citizens, particularly after Kittleson’s release, which had increased the level of protection surrounding the evacuation operation.
As the convoy approached the vicinity of Victoria Base and the U.S. Embassy’s diplomatic support headquarters, the base and the military runway came under attack by three drones, resulting in shrapnel scattering and confusion within the convoy.
“The Iraqis were put in an embarrassing position,” a security source working at Baghdad International Airport told Alhurra, referring to the accompanying Iraqi security force.
A source in the Iraqi Intelligence Agency, which falls under the Ministry of the Interior, told Alhurra: “Kittleson was not the target. The factions intended to injure or kill American soldiers or diplomats.”
The intelligence source added: “After intensive communications between security and diplomatic entities, it was decided to cancel the ground transfer plan and immediately return the journalist and the diplomatic convoy to the U.S. Embassy inside the Green Zone.”
Kittleson remained inside the embassy for several hours while a safer option for her transfer was sought.
Later that same afternoon, an alternative plan was adopted, under which Kittleson was transported from within the embassy by helicopter to avoid the land route, which was deemed unsafe after the attack.
According to the intelligence source, a threat was delivered to the Iraqi government from an unnamed American general stating that U.S. forces would respond directly if the force were attacked again during the helicopters’ takeoff.
The source told Alhurra: “The Americans were greatly angered. They said that information about the delegation’s departure had been leaked. This means there was a security breach involving the disclosure of movement details.”
Neither the U.S. State Department nor the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad responded to inquiries sent by Alhurra via email for comment.
On April 9, the U.S. State Department said in a statement that the United States had summoned the Iraqi ambassador to Washington, Nizar al-Khairallah, and expressed its “condemnation” of the “ambush” that targeted the diplomatic delegation on April 8.
The statement said that the United States acknowledges “the efforts made by Iraqi security forces in confronting these attacks,” but at the same time stressed that “some entities linked to the Iraqi government continue to provide effective political, financial, and operational cover for militias, which in turn negatively affects relations between the United States and Iraq.”
For its part, no official comment has yet been issued by the Iraqi government regarding the “ambush.”
These developments came just days after Kittleson’s release. The U.S. Embassy had previously warned of the possibility of Americans being targeted in Iraq, especially amid an escalation in drone attacks.
The incident of Kittleson’s kidnapping revived memories of previous operations targeting foreign researchers and journalists, amid growing concerns among journalists and activists about a return to such targeting. According to observers who spoke to Alhurra, the incident reflected major security challenges and raises questions about the state’s ability to protect foreign journalists and media workers.
Kittleson had been kidnapped on March 31 while returning from the Karrada area in Baghdad, after she had been seen in a popular restaurant minutes before the incident. According to Iraqi security sources who spoke to Alhurra at the time, security forces pursued the vehicle used in the kidnapping and arrested its driver, but the journalist was not inside the car, indicating that a vehicle switch had taken place and that she had been moved to another location.
Intelligence information reported by Alhurra indicated that Kittleson was later transferred to the Jurf al-Nasr area south of Baghdad, a highly sensitive security zone controlled by Kataib Hezbollah. At the same time, undisclosed negotiations began between the Iraqi government and armed factions to secure her release, involving the National Intelligence Service along with political mediation efforts.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Mustafa Saadoon
Mustafa Saadoon is an Iraqi journalist who has worked for several international and Arab media organizations. He covers politics and human rights.
