Wisconsin native and freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson has been kidnapped in Iraq, prompting hopes from friends, family, and hostage advocacy groups to bring her home safely.
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Kittleson grew up in Darlington, Wisconsin. Her mother told TMJ4 she last heard from her daughter on Monday, receiving an email with photos.
The U.S. hostage enterprise is already following the case, according to Diane Foley with the Foley Foundation, which partners with the U.S. State Department to help bring hostages home. To advocate for Kittleson, the foundation would need permission from her family.
“I will definitely be keeping them and Shelly in my prayers and reassure them that at least our government is on it, that they are very aware of the abduction and actively looking for her,” Foley said.
Watch: Wisconsin native journalist kidnapped in Iraq; TMJ4 speaks to Foley Foundation on return effort
The Foley Foundation was founded in 2014, just weeks after freelance journalist and Marquette graduate James Foley was killed by ISIS while reporting in Syria. His mother spoke about the dangers journalists face overseas. She said she was horrified to hear about Kittleson’s kidnapping.
“It's very sobering because unfortunately, it's happening more and more,” Foley said.
Over the last two decades, Kittleson immersed herself in communities across Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Abdul Ismail, a friend of Kittleson, said he was surprised to learn she had been kidnapped.
“She wants to be always affiliated with the marginalized, vulnerable, poor, displaced people, and she feels that herself, she has this obligation to be their voice because they don't have a voice,” Ismail said. "She has this pretty unique style of being pretty balanced and neutral about all issues, so she was; this gave her a lot of credibility, actually, among like all groups that were involved in the conflict."
Foley is among many praying for Kittleson’s safe return and her ability to continue doing what she loves.
“I just think we need journalists like Jim and Shelly who have that moral courage and curiosity and talent, otherwise we'd have no idea what's even happening in the world,” Foley said.
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