Iraqi general suggests formation of intelligence center in Cairo

CAIRO – 17 July 2017: Abdul-Amir Yarallah, head of the Nineveh Operations at the Joint Operations Command, said on Monday that a liaison center for intelligence services of countries engaged in fighting against terrorism should be established. “I believe Cairo or Baghdad should host the headquarters of that intelligence liaison center,” Yarallah added.

He stressed that Baghdad already embraces an intelligence coordination center where Iraq, Syria, Iran and Russia exchange intelligence data.

Yarallah called on the Egyptian military command to increase military cooperation and exchange experiences needed to streamline efforts against extremism.

Security operations against the Islamic State (IS) militants in Mosul left 15,000 militants dead in the eastern part of Mosul, according to the Iraqi command that led the war to retake Iraq’s second largest city.

Yarallah, head of the Nineveh Operations at the Joint Operations Command, told Egypt Today via a phone interview that more than 15,000 militants were killed over the nine months of battles in the eastern side of Mosul.

Yarallah urged the Egyptian army for support and cooperation between the two countries’ armies so that the Iraqi army could develop its military capabilities for more efficient counterterrorism efforts in the region.

“The liberation of Mosul is the first step to reclaim the Iraqi territory entirely,” Yarallah said.

He proclaimed that more than 100,000 Iraqi soldiers took part in the liberation operation of Mosul. He added that the Iraqi forces delayed freeing Mosul due to the geographic nature of the Old City in Mosul.

In a question about the destiny of IS after the liberation of Mosul, Yarallah said IS militants still control Tal Afar. “The Iraqi army is heading now to liberate Tal Afar and the entire city of Nineveh,” Yarallah said.

Yarallah responded to a question about IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s death stating, “Baghdadi is a king without a kingdom.” He pointed out that the Iraqi army killed more than 5,000 militants in the city of Mosul. The total number of the IS militants killed throughout the past nine months in the liberation of Mosul is 25,000.

Yarallah revealed that IS militants had seized weapons worth an estimated $27 billion. He urged the Iraqi government to confront radical and extremist religious discourse. Many Iraqi youths have been affected by IS ideologies throughout the past three years during the control of IS on the city of Mosul.

“The Iraqi army has been supported by the foreign forces since 2004,” Yarallah He stressed that the troops which took part in the liberation operation of Mosul included only Iraqi nationals without.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over IS in Mosul on July 9 after Iraqi forces took over western Mosul’s Old City. Mosul is the birthplace of the IS leader. Al-Baghdadi also made a sermon proclaiming control over a third of Iraq and Syria.