Iraqi MP says intelligence now accounts for 70% of security strategy

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A member of Iraq's parliamentary Security and Defense Committee said the country has overhauled its security approach, with security breaches falling to zero over the past 24 months. MP Yaser Watwut said the 2026 security strategy differs fundamentally from the approach used 10 to 15 years ago, adding that no area of Iraqi territory is currently under the control of extremist groups. Watwut outlined four pillars underpinning the new strategy: military force, intelligence work, public support and the principle that security is a shared responsibility. He said intelligence-led operations now make up 70 percent of counterterrorism work, adding that a single piece of accurate information can dismantle a militant cell entirely. The lawmaker said a preventive, community-based security model has encouraged citizens to share information, and that recent successful operations relied heavily on that cooperation. He added that the accumulated expertise of intelligence units has enabled security forces to pinpoint extremist cells with precision even in remote areas. No further details on specific operations or metrics were immediately provided.