An American journalist was released by an Iranian-backed militia a week after she was kidnapped in Baghdad, which stipulated that she must leave the country.

The release of Shelly Kittleson, 49, from Monticello, Wisconsin, was seemingly confirmed in a post on the encrypted social messaging app Telegram by Abu Mujahid Aasaf, the security chief of Kataib Hezbollah.

“Security official Abu Mujahid al-Asaf, in the name of God, the Most High, and in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing Prime Minister, has decided to release the American defendant, Shelley [sic] Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately,” Aasaf said in a translation of an Arabic post on Telegram.

“This initiative will not be repeated in the future; we are in a state of war waged by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are disregarded,” the post continued.

Kataib Hezbollah, Arabic for Hezbollah Brigades, also said it was releasing a video “illustrating the role of [Kittleson] and her activities in Iraq.”

In the two-minute video shared on Telegram, Kittleson appears to be reading from a script in a stilted voice as she hails her kidnappers.

It isn’t clear when or where the video was filmed or where Kittleson is now.

Kittleson — who has reported on the Middle East for multiple outlets for two decades — was reportedly set to be freed in exchange for the release of several imprisoned Kataib Hezbollah members, Iraqi security officials told the New York Times.

The group, one of the most powerful militias in Iraq, has close ties to Iran’s Quds Force, the foreign wing of the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

It was previously responsible for abducting Israeli-Russian Princeton doctoral student, Elizabeth Truskov, in 2023, holding her hostage and subjecting her to torture for two years before finally releasing her.

The group has also claimed responsibility for missile strikes on the US Embassy in Baghdad, and was officially designated a foreign terrorist organization in 2009.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Kittleson’s release Tuesday night, posting on X that he is “relieved” she is free. 

“This resolution reflects the Trump Administration’s steadfast commitment to the safety and security of American citizens, no matter where they are in the world,” Rubio said, adding that the US was working to facilitate her safe departure from Iraq.  

“Under President Trump, the wrongful detention or kidnapping of U.S. nationals will not be tolerated. We will continue to use every tool to bring Americans home and to hold accountable those responsible.”

Kittleson was snatched off the streets of Baghdad last Tuesday when armed men in two vehicles surrounded her and pushed her into a car.

One of the two vehicles overturned shortly afterward during its escape, but the other car, containing Kittleson, continued south out of Baghdad.

Kataib Hezbollah did not previously acknowledge it was responsible for Kittleson’s kidnapping, although both US and Iraqi officials were quick to suspect the group of involvement.

No other details have yet been released about the circumstances behind her capture and release.

Her emergency contact, CNN National Security Analyst Alex Plitsas, said on Tuesday afternoon he had received no proof of Kittleson’s release.

I have seen the alleged statement from Khatib Hezbollah regarding Shelley’s potential release. We have no official confirmation from the United States government that this is true,” he wrote on X.

“The Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell is the lead entity. No comment until a determination is made,” he added.

Kittleson, who is based in Rome, regularly flew in from Italy to report on conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, despite threats to her life.