An American female journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday and authorities are searching the city for her, two police officials said.
The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed the abduction of a female journalist but did not disclose her nationality. The ministry said one suspect was arrested and efforts were ongoing to free the journalist.
Police officials who declined to be named later identified the victim as Shelly Kittleson.
Middle East news site AL-Monitor said Kittleson is a U.S. freelance journalist based in Rome who has covered several wars in the region and contributed articles to the outlet.
A State Department official said the U.S. was aware of the reported kidnapping of an American journalist in Baghdad, adding that Washington had previously issued a warning.
"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," Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs Dylan Johnson said on X. He did not name Kittleson.
Johnson reiterated that Americans are advised not to travel to Iraq for any reason.
The police officials said Kittleson was seized by four men in civilian clothes and taken in a vehicle.
The search is focused on the eastern part of the capital where the kidnappers' vehicle was headed, they added.
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As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained low on Thursday, as Iran reiterated that it will neither enter into new negotiations with the United States nor re-open the Strait as long as its conditions are not met, despite recent indirect talks in New York mediated by Qatar.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
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