American journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Iraq sparking urgent hunt

The U.S. State Department said it is ‘closing tracking these reports’ - (AFP via Getty Images)

An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors.

The journalist was identified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson by one of the outlets she worked for. The Iraqi interior ministry said in a statement that a foreign journalist had been kidnapped, without giving more details about the person's identity.