Reporter kidnapped in Baghdad known for pursuing gutsy, low-budget assignments while living ‘frugal existence’
American journalist Shelly Kittleson, who often took on dangerous assignments, was warned about looming risks that coincided with her coverage, but didn’t believe threats against her were credible, before she was kidnapped in Iraq on Tuesday.
Viral surveillance footage appeared to show Kittleson being forced into a car by two men at a busy intersection in Baghdad on Tuesday. The State Department has said an individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah is believed to be involved.
The 49-year-old freelance journalist, an American citizen and Wisconsin native based in Rome, reported from war zones for years, spending time in Afghanistan and Syria before Iraq. She "often worked without formal assignments from editors and on a shoestring budget, taking shared taxis to lawless corners of Iraq where militia rule outweighs government control," the Associated Press reported after speaking to her friends, family and colleagues.
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"She is a great reporter and always wants to go to areas where no one wants to go," journalist Patrizio Nissirio, who has known Kittleson since 2011, told the AP.
"I said to her, ‘You don’t need to be in a war zone to do good journalism,’" he added. "She told me, ‘I think my work is worth something when I am in those areas.’"
She "often embedded herself in local communities, sometimes staying with families rather than in hotels," and often worked alone without the backing or support of a larger news organization, according to the AP.
Kittleson told friends that U.S. officials had told her a militia group intended to target her before the kidnapping, but she didn’t believe the threat was credible.
"They will not hurt me," she told a friend shortly before the kidnapping.
While she didn’t find the threats against her as particularly credible, Kittleson was outspoken when it came to the treatment of freelance journalists.
Kittleson "had long struggled financially, living a frugal existence" and "often relied on the support of Iraqi journalists," according to the AP.
"She always complained of the treatment of freelance journalists, saying they are not paid enough. She was always trying to make ends meet and said she would sleep on any couch she could find, unlike the big foreign correspondents that sleep in fancy hotels," Nissirio said.
"Her job has always been difficult," he continued. "But she had a burning passion for it that I respect and appreciate."
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Kittleson’s mother told the AP she had not seen her daughter in person in nearly 25 years, as she left Wisconsin to study in Italy when she was 19 years old before eventually settling in Iraq. Kittleson exchanged emails with her mother on a regular basis, often sharing recent photos.
"Journalism is what she wanted to do so bad," Kittleson’s mother told the AP. "I wanted her to come home and not do it, but she said, ‘I’m helping people.’"
Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson also said Kittleson was warned about threats.
"The State Department previously fulfilled our duty to warn this individual of threats against them, and we will continue to coordinate with the FBI to ensure their release as quickly as possible," Johnson wrote on social media.
"An individual with ties to the Iranian-aligned militia group Kataib Hizballah believed to be involved in the kidnapping has been taken into custody by Iraqi authorities," he continued. "Iraq remains at a Level 4 Travel Advisory and Americans are advised not to travel to Iraq for any reason and to leave Iraq now. The State Department strongly advises all Americans, including members of the press, to adhere to all travel advisories."
Al-Monitor, the Middle East publication where Kittleson worked as a freelance contributor, called for her to be released immediately.
"We are deeply alarmed by the kidnapping of Al-Monitor contributor Shelly Kittleson in Iraq on Tuesday. We call for her safe and immediate release. We stand by her vital reporting from the region and call for her swift return to continue her important work," Al-Monitor said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.