Ali al-Zaidi dismisses head of intelligence services

Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has dismissed the head of the National Information Service, Hamid al-Shatri, effective immediately. This decision marks a significant leadership change in Iraq's security apparatus, as al-Shatri was appointed by the previous Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Rashad Jalaf Hashim, but no reasons for the dismissal were provided. The U.S. military officially ended its 23-year presence in Iraq on September 30, 2026, transferring security operations to Iraqi forces. The Iraqi government is working to assert control over armed groups and militias, with a deadline for disarming illegal weapons pushed to June 2027 due to resistance from powerful factions.