Lt. Gen. Abdul Ghani al-Asadi has been named head of the National Security Council. He was formerly commander of the Counter-Terrorism Services.
Qasim al-Araji has been named chancellor of National Security. He had previously served as interior minister and was also a commander within the Badr Organization.
They are both familiar faces.
Asadi headed up the Counter-Terrorism Command from its formation in 2007 and played key roles in ousting Islamic State from Fallujah and Mosul. He was described by the Washington Institute as being popular, with strong political influence, and close ties with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
Araji has a history with pro-Iranian militias and had been accused of smuggling arms to attack US troops in the sectarian violence that engulfed Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. In 2017, in his role as interior minister, Araji said that “the friendship of the Americans” was vital to establishing security in Iraq.
Speaking at the Erbil Forum in 2019, Araji sad Iraq faces a “crisis of trust. This is what caused Erbil-Baghdad problems, as well as problems between Baghdad and other provinces and problems between political parties and blocs.”
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