Undeterred by political controversy, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi ordered sweeping changes to the country’s security establishment in the wake of a deadly twin suicide bombing rocking Baghdad.
Kadhimi boldly sacked a number of security officials and military leaders, including those who enjoy political cover. This is the first time an Iraqi premier takes such drastic action so swiftly after a terrorist attack.
Having served as the director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service for over four years, Kadhimi is well aware of the flaws corrupting the security establishment, especially the intelligence and military branches.
During an extraordinary session of the Ministerial Council for National Security held on Friday, Kadhimi pledged that the security breach of the twin suicide bombings in Baghdad “would not be repeated,” and stressed the need to urgently address the challenges facing the performance of the intelligence services.
“What happened yesterday is a breach that we do not allow to be repeated. We promised our people to provide security,” Kadhimi said.
On Thursday morning, a suicide bomber detonated his explosive belt in a bustling outdoor market for second-hand clothes in Bab al-Sharji area, and a second one blew himself up a few minutes later in the same market.
Kadhimi pointed out that the security services made great efforts during the past months and were able to carry out preemptive operations to thwart the almost daily attempts by the militants of the extremist ISIS group to reach Baghdad.
“There are challenges in the (performance of) intelligence services that must be addressed urgently, and I will personally supervise this issue,” Kadhimi said.
“Security is not just a word we use it in Media announcements, but rather it represents a responsibility. The lives of our people and our children are important, and whoever does not hold responsibility to protect citizens must step down from his position,” the prime minister explained.
“We have restructured the security and military forces, and we are working on a comprehensive security plan to face the coming challenges.”
“The security leaders bear responsibility; therefore they must train and empower the security forces to face the challenges,” he added.