Iraq merges security and intelligence bodies under new 'Commander-in-Chief Office'

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq has consolidated its top military and intelligence bodies into a single structure under a newly established Commander-in-Chief Office located inside the Green Zone, an official source said. The reorganization brings the Joint Operations Command, the Commander-in-Chief's Private Office and the National Operations Center under one administrative and security unit. According to the source, the new body will have direct oversight and control over major security and military institutions, including the defense and interior ministries, the Counter-Terrorism Service, the Intelligence Service, the National Security Service, the Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi), the Border Ports Authority and the Military Industrialization Authority. The restructuring was described as aimed at strengthening coordination between intelligence and military units, accelerating the security response and managing the security file from a single decision-making center. No further details on the scope of the reorganization or its timeline were immediately available.