Journalist kidnapped in Iraq thanks "those who worked for my release"

An American freelance journalist who was kidnapped in Iraq's capital in March has thanked "those who worked for my release" in her first comments since being freed.

In a post on X, Shelly Kittleson wrote that she was "incredibly grateful" to those who helped orchestrate her release from the Iranian-backed militia Kata'ib Hezbollah, which kidnapped her on a Baghdad street.

"So many people – including but not limited to government officials, press freedom organizations, and my wonderful community of fellow journalists and friends – put an immense amount of effort into ensuring that the level of attention to my case remained high. Thank you all so very, very much," Kittleson wrote.

She was held by the group for about a week before being released on April 7. 

Her name was on a Kata'ib Hezbollah list of U.S. journalists to target for kidnapping, multiple sources told CBS News.