NEW: State Department Provides Update On Kidnapping Of American Journalist In Iraq

The U.S. State Department confirmed on Tuesday that it is aware of the kidnapping of American freelance journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad and is working with Iraqi authorities and the FBI to secure her safe release. A U.S. official stated that the department had fulfilled its duty-to-warn obligations regarding threats to Kittleson prior to the incident and is coordinating closely with Iraqi officials. “We are closely tracking these reports. Due to privacy and other considerations, we have nothing further to share at this time,” the department said in an official statement. Kittleson, 49, was abducted in broad daylight Tiesday in central Baghdad near the Palestine Hotel on Al-Saadoun Street. According to Iraqi media and security sources, armed men stopped her vehicle, forcibly remov