According to a recent article, the United States’ CIA has refused to hand over control of Iraq’s intelligence agency to the newly elected Iraqi government. This retention of control, while not surprising, reflects the serious doubts that the United States has about the newly formed Iraqi government and the extent to which the occupation continues. The ultra-secret CIA-backed group, which is known as Mukhabarat (the same name used by Saddam Hussein’s intelligence service), is headed by a former general under Saddam Hussein named Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani. The article explains that a major justification for the policy is the United States’ belief that the new government is too close to Iran, and as such, in addition to retaining control of the intelligence agency, the US has confiscated Iraqi intelligence records and is storing them inside US headquarters in Baghdad. Another article published yesterday expressed concerns that rather than being loyal to the country of Iraq, many Iraqi security forces remain loyal to former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who is a former Ba’ath Party member supported by the United States and who maintains strong ties with the United States.
Of course, many in the new Iraqi government have serious doubts about the new intelligence service, which they argue violates their sovereignty and removes them from dealing with the insurgency. One Iraqi politician referred to the agency as the “American Intelligence of Iraq” stating that it is a more accurate descriptor than the “Iraqi Intelligence Service.” While the United States has apparently not ruled out handing over control of the agency, it is unlikely that they will do so, and some Iraqi politicians have suggested that they need to consider forming their own intelligence service.
Related posts:
- Bush Administration Warned By CIA About Flawed Intelligence
- Bush Administration’s Defense of Iraq Intelligence Failing
- Michigan Senator Carl Levin Comments on DOD Report on Pre-War Iraq Intelligence
- Iraq Watch: Intelligence Report Confirms Administration Lied, Reducing Troop Levels, Failures of Construction, New Detainee Abuse
- Iraq Watch: UN Calls War Illegal, US Bombing Fallujah, CIA Report Pessimistic on Iraq’s Future
