BAGHDAD, April 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Iraq's powerful armed group Kataeb Hezbollah on Tuesday released US journalist Shelly Kittleson, a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad, the Iranian-backed group and the United States said. Her release was announced hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire in more than one month of war, which spread into a regionwide conflict. A senior Iraqi security official had earlier told AFP that authorities arrested a member of a pro-Iran group believed to be connected to the abduction. Rubio said that Kittleson was abducted by Kataeb Hezbollah, which is blacklisted by the United States. Israeli-Russian academic Elizabeth Tsurkov was kidnapped in Baghdad in 2023 and was held for two years until her release last year.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha April 08, 2026 03:18 UTC