An American journalist who frequently covered the Middle East has reportedly been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, with terrifying surveillance footage showing armed men bundling her into the back of a car.
Tuesday’s abduction of Shelly Kittleson, 49, from Monticello, Wisconsin, was confirmed by Al-Monitor, the independent media outlet for which she had written.
Kittleson, who is currently based in Rome, Italy, has spent years reporting from war zones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.
<img data-modal-image="38950550" width="472" height="590" src="https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?w=819" alt="US journalist Shelly Kittleson posing in front of an old stone wall with a sign in Arabic script." class="wp-image-38950550" srcset="https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?quality=75&strip=all 1207w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=240, 300&quality=75&strip=all 240w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=768, 960&quality=75&strip=all 768w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=819, 1024&quality=75&strip=all 819w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=480, 600&quality=75&strip=all 480w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=471, 589&quality=75&strip=all 471w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=397, 496&quality=75&strip=all 397w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=515, 644&quality=75&strip=all 515w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=393, 491&quality=75&strip=all 393w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=226, 282&quality=75&strip=all 226w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=165, 206&quality=75&strip=all 165w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=57, 71&quality=75&strip=all 57w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=32, 40&quality=75&strip=all 32w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=56, 70&quality=75&strip=all 56w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=43, 54&quality=75&strip=all 43w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=160, 200&quality=75&strip=all 160w, https://dailytruthreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/us-journalist-shelly-kittleson-seen-124774672.jpg?resize=231, 289&quality=75&strip=all Continue reading
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!
Join the conversation!
Please share your thoughts about this article below. We value your opinions, and would love to see you add to the discussion!