American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson was kidnapped in Baghdad on Tuesday evening, according to Iraqi government officials and her employer Al-Monitor.

The Iraqi Interior Ministry confirmed that a foreign woman journalist was abducted and announced that security forces are conducting operations to track down the perpetrators and secure her release. The ministry stated that the kidnapping occurred in the evening hours.

Kittleson, who covers Middle East affairs for the Washington-based publication Al-Monitor, was reportedly taken by a group of unidentified men near her hotel in the Iraqi capital. Al-Monitor described her as an award-winning journalist who has been based in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Iraqi security forces pursued the suspected kidnappers following the abduction, according to the Interior Ministry. During the pursuit, authorities intercepted a vehicle that subsequently overturned, though details about any arrests or the journalist's current whereabouts were not immediately available.

The kidnapping comes amid ongoing tensions in the region. Iraq has experienced periodic security incidents involving foreign nationals, though kidnappings of international journalists have become less common in recent years compared to the height of sectarian violence in the mid-2000s.

Iraqi authorities have not released additional details about the identity of the suspected kidnappers or their possible motives. The investigation and rescue operations remain ongoing.