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Iraqi National Intelligence Service Threatens to Sue ‘Asaib Ahl al-Haq’ Leader

Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali
Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali
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Iraqi National Intelligence Service Threatens to Sue ‘Asaib Ahl al-Haq’ Leader

Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali
Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali

Iraqi intelligence, led by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, on Monday slammed “harmful” statements made by a militia leader who accused the service of becoming run by a foreign security team.

Qais al-Khazali, Secretary-General of the Iranian-backed militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq, claimed in a tweet on Sunday that he had reliable information that Iraq had brought in an Emirati security team to manage the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, after the transfer of 300 members of the intelligence service, including officers, to the border authority.

Without naming Khazali, the intelligence service hit back at what they labeled as misinformation.

“The Iraqi National Intelligence Service regrets that it has to respond and clarify such unjust accusations from some political and media groups based on completely false information,” read a statement from the service released on Monday.

The service also affirmed it will be reserving its legal right to sue any party seeking to undermine the integrity of its affiliates.

Headed by Kadhimi, the service stated that the unfair statements are “harmful for the reputation of the agency and the patriotism of its officers and employees.”

The statement added that the administrative procedure of transferring the members was in response to the request of the Border Ports Committee, which needs the support of more security staff.

“Human resources at the Iraqi National Intelligence Service play a major role in earning national respect for the agency’s civility, discipline, professionalism, and patriotism,” national security expert Hussein Allawi told Asharq Al-Awsat.

He added that the service undertakes high-performance tasks such as combating espionage, confronting subversive groups that threaten national security, dismantling terrorist groups, and fighting organized crime.

“One of the primary tasks of the service is to face foreign threats,” noted Allawi.

More so, Allawi explained that the service is responsible for protecting Iraqi diplomatic cables and ensure the safety and smooth flow of civil and military missions carried abroad.

“Relocating members of the intelligence service to the border authority fulfills the national mission for protecting and developing border crossings, which are a vital part of Iraq’s security,” he said.

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Drone Strike Targets Port Sudan Naval Base 

A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
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Drone Strike Targets Port Sudan Naval Base 

A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a large plume of smoke and fire rising from fuel depot in Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025. (Reuters)

A drone strike targeted Sudan's biggest naval base on Wednesday, an army source told AFP, marking the fourth straight day the seat of the army-backed government has come under attack.

It comes a day after the government severed ties with the United Arab Emirates, which it accuses of supplying rival paramilitaries with weapons used to attack the army.

Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast had been a safe haven, hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people and United Nations offices, until Sunday when drone strikes blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries began.

Wednesday's drone strikes "were met with anti-aircraft missiles", the army source said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

An AFP correspondent reported a series of explosions from the direction of the Flamingo Base, just north of the city.

Later Wednesday, residents reported air defenses in action against drones circling above the city.

War has raged since April 2023 between Sudan's regular armed forces and the RSF.

- 'Major escalation' -

Nearly 600 kilometers (375 miles) further south, "three drones attempted to strike airport facilities" in the army-held eastern city of Kassala on Wednesday, near the border with Eritrea, a security source said.

Witnesses told AFP they heard explosions from anti-aircraft missiles west of the city, which has also come under repeated attack this week.

In the city of Merowe in Northern state, around 420 kilometers from Khartoum, residents reported drones overhead being intercepted by anti-aircraft fire.

Nationwide, the war has killed tens of thousands of people and uprooted 13 million.

It has also effectively split Sudan in two, with the army controlling the center, north and east, while the RSF holds nearly all of Darfur in the west and parts of the south.

The RSF has not directly commented on this week's attacks on Port Sudan, about 650 kilometers from its nearest known positions on the outskirts of the capital.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called the drone strikes a "major escalation (that) could lead to large-scale civilian casualties and further destruction of critical infrastructure".

Port Sudan is the main entry point for humanitarian aid into Sudan, and Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the attacks "threaten to increase humanitarian needs and further complicate aid operations in the country".

Famine has been declared in some areas in Sudan and nearly 25 million people are suffering dire food insecurity.

The UN also has warned of more "human suffering in what is already the world's largest humanitarian crisis".

- 'Advanced weaponry' -

French medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Wednesday its services in the northern River Nile state have been disrupted after drone attacks targeted a power plant in state capital Atbara.

The attacks caused a major power outage and affected the city's water treatment plant, disrupting access to clean water and risking a surge in waterborne diseases such as cholera, MSF said.

The attacks also scaled down production at the state's oxygen concentration factory, which provides health facilities with oxygen tanks.

MSF said such attacks on infrastructure "have a devastating impact on the health of the local communities" and harm "an already overburdened health system".

The drone campaign comes after the RSF in March lost control of nearly all of greater Khartoum.

The army-backed foreign ministry described the attack on Port Sudan as "a full-fledged crime of aggression", which it said was carried out with "strategic drones and advanced weaponry".

Sudan has accused the UAE of supplying the RSF with the weapons it has used to strike Port Sudan.

The UAE has repeatedly denied arming the RSF.

On Wednesday, it rejected the severing of ties, saying the decision was made by an administration that "does not represent the legitimate government of Sudan".