A US female journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad, Iraq, according to the United States. The journalist, identified by media outlets as Shelly Kittleson, was reportedly abducted by a suspected Iran-backed Iraqi armed group. The US State Department said it is working urgently to secure her release. Assistant Secretary of State Dylan Johnson wrote on social media platform X that an individual linked to the Iran-backed militia group Kataib Hezbollah has been detained by Iraqi authorities in connection with the kidnapping.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry confirmed that security forces arrested one suspect and seized a vehicle used in the abduction. However, the ministry did not disclose the identities of either the victim or the perpetrators. Kittleson, a freelance contributor for Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, Politico, and the BBC, is based in Rome but frequently travels across the Middle East to report from conflict zones in Syria and Iraq.

Authorities in both countries continue to coordinate efforts to locate and rescue the journalist, though no timeline for her release has been provided.

Iraq reported that a rocket attack on a Baghdad air base destroyed one of its Air Force’s Antonov AN-132 military transport aircraft. The incident occurred at the Martyr Muhammad Ala Air Base, part of Baghdad Airport, around 1:55 a.m. local time. The Iraqi Defense Ministry condemned the strike as a “criminal and cowardly act” aimed at undermining the country’s military institutions and defense capabilities. No casualties were reported.

According to the ministry, the rocket was launched from the outskirts of Baghdad using a 122-millimeter projectile. Security agencies have begun investigating the damage and tracing the source of the attack. BBC Persian’s Middle East correspondent Nafisa Kohanavard noted that this was the first time any part of the Iraqi Air Force at Baghdad Airport had been targeted. It remains unclear whether the strike was deliberate or accidental.

Earlier, media outlets linked to Iran-backed groups had reported rocket attacks on the nearby Nasr Base, also known as Victoria, which has frequently been targeted since the start of the ongoing conflict.

Iraq’s Ministry of Defense reported that rockets struck the Mohammed Alaa Air Base, located near Baghdad International Airport, on Monday morning. The attack destroyed one aircraft but caused no casualties. Authorities are assessing the extent of the damage and investigating the source of the rockets.

Earlier, an Al Jazeera correspondent in Baghdad reported hearing loud explosions, which were later identified as rocket fire targeting the U.S. ‘Victory Base’ about 20 kilometers west of the capital. The air defense system failed to intercept the rockets, which hit an Iraqi special forces A32B transport aircraft, setting it ablaze.

The incident adds to ongoing security concerns in Iraq, where military facilities near Baghdad continue to face periodic rocket and drone attacks, prompting renewed scrutiny of regional defense readiness.

A rocket attack struck the United States' former 'Victory Base' military facility located about 20 kilometers west of Baghdad, Iraq, on March 30, 2026. Loud explosions were heard across the capital, and reports confirmed that the rockets hit an Iraqi special forces A32B transport aircraft, setting it on fire. The air defense system failed to intercept the rockets. According to Al Jazeera, this marks the first attack on the Victory Base, which no longer hosts any US troops.

The incident carries symbolic significance, as the base was once considered one of Iraq’s most secure and protected areas during the height of the US military presence. The attack highlights a shift in the security landscape, with even previously fortified sites now vulnerable to strikes. Throughout the night, US aircraft were seen flying over Baghdad.

In a separate incident, a drone attack targeted the US embassy in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region. Air defense systems successfully intercepted the drones, preventing damage.

Air strikes in northern Iraq on Saturday killed three members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) and two Iraqi police officers, according to Iraqi security sources. The attacks targeted the PMF’s headquarters near Kirkuk Airport and another site in Mosul, wounding several others. The PMF, now part of Iraq’s regular army, blamed the United States and Israel for what it called a “treacherous Zionist-American” assault. The strikes came as the US-Israeli war on Iran continued to spill over Iraq’s eastern border.

Al Jazeera reported that Iraq is becoming an expanding battleground in the conflict that began on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The PMF, originally formed in 2014 to fight ISIL, includes factions loyal to both Baghdad and Tehran, complicating Iraq’s position between the two powers. Baghdad is struggling to balance its ties with both the United States and Iran amid the escalating violence.

In the Kurdish region, two drones targeted a US-led coalition base near Erbil Airport, while another drone struck the home of Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani in Duhok. Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani condemned the attack and urged Baghdad to act. French President Emmanuel Macron described the rising attacks in Iraq as a worrying development.

The United States Embassy in Iraq has instructed American citizens to leave the country due to ongoing risks from missile, drone, and rocket attacks in Iraqi airspace. The advisory also urged citizens to avoid visiting the embassy in Baghdad or the consulate general in Erbil. With air routes closed, travelers were advised to exit Iraq by land through Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, or Turkey.

According to the new security alert, Iran-backed armed groups have been carrying out widespread attacks across Iraq, including the Kurdish region, targeting American citizens and sites linked to Washington. The embassy’s directive reflects heightened security concerns amid escalating regional tensions.

The situation underscores the growing instability in Iraq and the broader region, with potential implications for diplomatic operations and civilian safety if the attacks continue.

British forces stationed at a joint base in Erbil, northern Iraq, shot down 14 drones in a single night, marking the highest number of interceptions in recent weeks. The operation took place overnight and was carried out by members of the Royal Air Force Regiment using the Rapid Sentry air defense system to secure the base.

According to the report, the Erbil base has faced repeated drone attacks over the past three weeks, reportedly launched from Iran. The British troops’ actions were part of ongoing defensive measures to protect coalition facilities in the region.

The incident underscores the continuing security challenges in northern Iraq, where foreign military installations remain frequent targets of drone assaults.

According to AFP citing a security official, Iran carried out a missile strike in northern Iraq on Monday night, killing six Kurdish security personnel in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. The official, who requested anonymity, said two people remained missing and 22 others were injured following the attack. Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, quoting regional forces, reported a slightly lower death toll of five.

AFP further reported that six ballistic missiles were launched by Iran targeting Peshmerga forces in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iranian media stated that the operation was conducted by the drone unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ground forces in the Erbil area.

The differing casualty figures and limited official statements indicate uncertainty about the full scale of the attack and its aftermath.

A total of fifteen members of Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi, including a commander, were killed in an attack in western Iraq on Tuesday, according to a statement from the group. The statement, cited by AFP from Baghdad, said the strike targeted an operations center in Anbar province and described it as a 'treacherous American attack.' The new death toll updates an earlier report that had listed seven fatalities.

Hashd al-Shaabi, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), is a former paramilitary coalition that has since been integrated into Iraq’s regular armed forces. The organization includes factions with pro-Iranian affiliations, and it accused the United States of responsibility for the latest strike.

The statement did not provide further details about the nature of the attack or the U.S. response, leaving uncertainty about the broader military or political consequences of the incident.

A commander of Iraq’s former paramilitary coalition Hashd al-Shaabi and several fighters were killed in an airstrike in western Iraq’s Anbar province, the group said on Tuesday. The strike hit a base during a commanders’ meeting, and a group source blamed the United States for the attack. According to the source, seven members were killed and 13 others injured. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), as the group is also known, confirmed the death of Anbar province commander and operations chief Saad Dawai al-Bayji and condemned the attack.

The PMF is part of Iraq’s regular armed forces but includes several Iran-backed brigades. Iraqi authorities have repeatedly condemned attacks on the group since the start of the ongoing conflict that began after Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran on February 28. Iran-aligned militias in Iraq and the region have claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. interests, prompting retaliatory strikes.

Last week, the Pentagon acknowledged for the first time that U.S. helicopters had been used in operations against Iran-backed groups in Iraq during the current conflict.

An Iraqi armed group named Ashab al-Kahf has claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting what it described as a 'Mossad office' in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, according to Al Jazeera. The claim was made through a statement posted on Telegram, where the group said it carried out the strike on the facility.

The statement did not provide details about the extent of damage or any casualties resulting from the attack. Alongside the claim, the group also urged civilians to stay away from areas near U.S. military bases across Iraq, suggesting possible future risks or operations in those zones.

No independent confirmation of the attack or its impact was reported in the source, and official responses from Iraqi or Israeli authorities were not mentioned.

A drone attack targeted a United States diplomatic facility located near Baghdad International Airport, according to a Reuters report citing security sources. The incident occurred in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, though immediate details on casualties or damage were not available. Journalists present in the city reported hearing multiple explosions that may have been linked to the attack.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault. The report did not specify the exact nature of the facility or the extent of the impact. The attack adds to a series of recent security incidents in the region, though the source did not provide further context or official responses.

Authorities were reportedly investigating the situation, but as of the latest update, no official statements had been released regarding the perpetrators or potential motives.

A drone attack targeted Iraq’s national intelligence headquarters in central Baghdad on Saturday, killing one intelligence officer and injuring another, according to the country’s security media unit. The injured person was taken to a hospital for treatment. The attack was confirmed by General Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s security media unit, who said it occurred in the heart of the capital.

Separately, AFP reported that another drone strike hit a communications building in Baghdad housing an office of a security agency that cooperates with the US-led coalition in counter-extremism operations. Iraq’s National Intelligence Service stated that the attack near its headquarters was carried out by an “unlawful group.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far, and authorities have launched an investigation to determine who was behind them.

A drone attack struck the Mansour residential district of Baghdad, Iraq’s capital, according to security sources cited on March 21, 2026. One of the drones reportedly targeted a building belonging to an Iraqi intelligence agency. Another source told AFP that the building housed a security agency coordinating operations with U.S. advisers in Iraq.

A separate drone that was filming the operation lost control and crashed into a private sports club popular among Iraq’s elite and foreign diplomats. The incident has heightened concerns about security conditions in the capital.

Following the attack, renewed anxiety has emerged over Baghdad’s overall security situation, though no further details about casualties or responsibility were provided in the report.

NATO has withdrawn almost all of its personnel from Iraq amid regional instability triggered by the ongoing Iran war, according to Iraqi National Security Advisor’s office officials cited by AFP and Al Jazeera. The withdrawal, described as temporary, follows repeated attacks on the NATO mission in Baghdad after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran. Only a small team remains in Iraq, while the rest have been relocated to NATO’s command center in Naples, Italy.

NATO expressed gratitude to Iraq and allied nations for ensuring the safe transfer of its staff. In a statement, General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, praised the professionalism of the mission’s members. The alliance confirmed that the last personnel left Iraq and will continue operations from Naples.

The NATO Mission Iraq is a non-combat advisory and capacity-building mission aimed at helping Iraq strengthen its security institutions, stabilize the country, combat terrorism, and prevent the resurgence of ISIL.