Politics

Iraq Sentences Kataeb Hezbollah Member to 15 Years for Kidnapping US Journalist

According to a court document shared by local media, the Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced Amir Rahim Jabbar to 15 years in prison under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law for the kidnapping of Kittleson.

US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad on March 31, 2026. (Photo: AFP)
US journalist Shelly Kittleson poses for a picture in Baghdad on March 31, 2026. (Photo: AFP)
Kurdistan Kataeb Hezbollah Shelly Kittleson

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Iraq’s judiciary has sentenced a member of the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping of American journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad earlier this year, a judicial source said Monday.

According to a court document shared by local media, the Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced Amir Rahim Jabbar to 15 years in prison under Iraq’s anti-terrorism law for the kidnapping of Kittleson.

Kittleson, who shared a copy of the ruling on X, said she was “grateful to the Iraqi judiciary.”

Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad on March 31, during the height of the Middle East war, by Kataeb Hezbollah, one of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed groups. She was held for several days before being released just hours before the United States and Iran agreed to a ceasefire. Iraqi authorities arrested one member of the group at the time.

Kataeb Hezbollah is among several pro-Iran armed groups that became involved in the conflict in support of Tehran, claiming attacks against US facilities in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.

The sentencing comes amid growing pressure on Iraq’s government to bring Iran-aligned armed groups under state control. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government has said it is committed to ensuring that pro-Iran factions hand over their weapons to the state. Washington designates Kataeb Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

The issue has become a major source of political and security tension in Iraq, with several armed groups, including Kataeb Hezbollah, rejecting calls to disarm. Earlier this month, the group accused Zaidi of taking “provocative and irresponsible actions.”

Baghdad was once notorious for kidnappings and attempted abductions, but such incidents have declined significantly as Iraq’s security situation has improved in recent years.

The case marks a rare judicial action against a member of a powerful Iran-backed armed faction and could add to tensions between the government and armed groups over the future of weapons outside state control.

 

 

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