Powerful Kataib Hezbollah behind US journalist’s abduction: Iraqi officials
Three Iraqi officials said Tuesday local authorities believed the powerful Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia was responsible for the kidnapping of a US journalist in Iraq and that attempts to negotiate her release have run into obstacles.
US officials had previously alleged the group was responsible for abducting freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson from a Baghdad street corner on March 31.
The Iraqi government has not publicly named the group responsible, and the militia has not claimed the kidnapping. Kataib Hezbollah officials declined to comment.
The two Iraqi security officials and one official from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework political bloc spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak about the sensitive case publicly.
