An American journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces are hunting her captors, identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson. A U.S. official has blamed the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah for the kidnapping. The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed that a foreign journalist had been kidnapped but did not provide further details. Security forces have launched an operation to track down the kidnappers and seized one of their vehicles. Al-Monitor, a regional news site covering the Middle East, identified Kittlesons as a freelancer who reported extensively from Syria and Iraq. The kidnapping occurred in central Baghdad’s Saadoun Street and an alert was sent to all checkpoints.