A disturbing picture of who truly controls Baghdad has emerged following the kidnapping of journalist Shelly Kittleson. According to a report published by The Jerusalem Post, forces associated with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) — entities formally affiliated with the Iraqi government — have been engaged in ongoing attacks against U.S. personnel and positions since October 2023. Kittleson’s case, the report argues, pulls back the curtain on a “militia state” operating within the structures of a nominally sovereign government.
What the Report Actually Says
The Jerusalem Post’s analysis, filed under its “Behind the Lines” series, details how the PMF — a coalition of predominantly Iran-backed armed factions — has become deeply embedded in Iraq’s official security apparatus. Rather than being a rogue force operating outside the state, these militias function within it, giving them legal cover and institutional protection. The kidnapping of Kittleson is presented as a symptom of this deeper structural problem: when armed factions loyal to a foreign power (Iran) control key levers of a state, accountability becomes nearly impossible and journalists, dissidents, and foreign nationals face serious danger.
A Region Long Marked by Competing Powers
Iraq’s geography and history place it at the crossroads of ancient empires and modern rivalries. The land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers — ancient Mesopotamia — has for millennia been a theater of competing kingdoms, loyalties, and powers. Today, the struggle is between Iranian influence, U.S. strategic interests, and the aspirations of ordinary Iraqis who want genuine sovereignty and security.
A Biblical Lens on Hidden Power and Injustice
Scripture speaks plainly about governments that cloak injustice in the language of order and law. The prophet Isaiah warned:
“Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.” — Isaiah 10:1–2
The situation in Iraq — where armed factions operate under governmental legitimacy while pursuing agendas hostile to basic human rights — reflects this ancient pattern of power hiding behind institutional facades.
Proverbs 29:2 also offers a sobering observation: “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” The groaning of Iraqi civilians caught between militia violence and governmental complicity is a real and present reality, not merely a political abstraction.
A Prophetic Perspective — Clearly Labeled as Such
From a biblical worldview perspective, many believers observe that the nations surrounding Israel — including Iraq, which borders Iran’s sphere of influence — are increasingly drawn into webs of instability and competing loyalties. This does not mean every event is a direct fulfillment of a specific prophecy, and we must be careful not to overreach. However, Scripture does consistently affirm that God holds nations accountable for how they treat the vulnerable, the foreigner, and those who seek truth (Psalm 82:3–4; Micah 6:8).
The kidnapping of a journalist seeking to report the truth is, at its core, an assault on accountability — something believers are called to care about regardless of geography or politics.
A Call to Prayer and Awareness
Christians are called to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1–2) and for the peace of troubled regions. Kittleson’s case is a reminder that journalists, aid workers, and ordinary people in conflict zones bear real costs. May those who seek truth and justice in Iraq find protection, and may those who wield hidden power be brought into the light.
