An officer from the Iraqi intelligence service was killed today, Monday, after gunmen opened fire on him in an area east of the capital. In response, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi ordered a high-level investigation into the incident. According to a correspondent for Al Arabiya/Al Hadath, Colonel Nebras Abu Ali, the assistant director of surveillance in the intelligence service, was assassinated. It was noted that the slain officer had been the intelligence director in the Rusafa district of Baghdad and was transferred to the surveillance directorate a month ago. Reports indicate that Abu Ali was shot dead in the morning after getting out of his car, by gunmen who were in an SUV and fired at him from about 10 meters away.
A source for Al Arabiya/Al Hadath confirmed that the colonel was one of the bravest officers, considering that this assassination was a blow to the intelligence service, which has thwarted many sabotage plans. The Iraqi intelligence service stated that the officer was killed following a clash with a large number of gunmen. For some time, certain militias have been disseminating the names of intelligence officers through social media and TV channels, aiming to incite against them.
### Previous Assassinations
It is worth mentioning that in March, an intelligence officer was also assassinated in the Mansour area west of the Iraqi capital. Furthermore, the assistant director of intelligence faced an assassination attempt in April south of Baghdad. These assassinations within the security forces, although they may not be directly related, add to the dozens of murders targeting Iraqi activists in the country over the past two years, despite government assurances of pursuing the killers and suspects.
This wave of violence coincides with ongoing military operations to track down remnants of the ISIS organization, despite its defeat years ago. Iraq continues to face various security challenges, including ISIS carrying out some operations in scattered areas across the country, in addition to Iranian-backed armed factions conducting periodic attacks and military displays.
