An American journalist who had been abducted by a pro-Iran militia in Iraq has been released after a week.

According to local media including the New York Times (NYT), Shelly Kittleson (49), a U.S. freelance journalist active in the Middle East, was freed after being held in Iraq for about a week.

The group that abducted Kittleson was reportedly Kataib Hezbollah, a pro-Iran militia in Iraq closely tied to the Quds Force, an elite unit under the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran.

She was reportedly released on the condition that members of Kataib Hezbollah who had been detained by Iraqi authorities be freed.

The NYT reported that Kataib Hezbollah is a key force among militias in Iraq leading retaliatory attacks in response to the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran. They have repeatedly targeted U.S.-related facilities in Iraq and the surrounding region with rocket and drone attacks, and have claimed responsibility for a missile strike on the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

The United States designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 2009, citing its continued attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria.

Kataib Hezbollah also released a video claiming that Kittleson “provided information related to militias in Iraq to a U.S. diplomat”. However, because the footage was heavily edited, there are suggestions it may have been produced under coercion.

This incident is the first case of a U.S. journalist being abducted by pro-Iran forces since the United States launched military action against Iran on February 28.

Kittleson was abducted in Baghdad by four men dressed as civilians, and the following day Kataib Hezbollah reportedly conveyed to Iraqi authorities its willingness to exchange her for members of the group who were in custody.

Kittleson, who resides in Rome, Italy, is a freelance journalist who has reported on the Middle East and contributed to multiple outlets.