Iraqi PM: Decisions of War and Peace Fall Exclusively Within the Authority of the State

Iraqi PM's Media Office

Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani's meeting with Iraqi security leaders.

Iraq's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, visited the headquarters of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS) in Baghdad on Sunday, 22 March 2026, where he held a meeting with the head of the agency and a number of senior officials.

According to a statement from his media office, the Prime Minister was briefed on the details of the attack on the agency’s headquarters the previous day, which resulted in the death of one of its officers. He directed the relevant authorities, in coordination with other security bodies, to continue a comprehensive investigation into the incident, disclose the findings, and identify those responsible, stressing the need to bring them to justice.

The statement added that PM Sudani received a detailed security briefing, including intelligence and field assessments, within the framework of the agency’s operational duties.

During the visit, the Prime Minister delivered an important address to the leadership and personnel of the INIS, as well as to other security and military institutions and the Iraqi public. He described those responsible for the attack as a “cowardly group” that had shed Iraqi blood and targeted state institutions.

Al-Sudani emphasised that those who commit such acts do not represent Iraq, adding that no ideology can justify violence against citizens or state entities. He noted that any such ideology would be inherently distorted and destructive.

He further stressed that while the government is acting with responsibility and restraint, it will not tolerate attacks on Iraqi lives or national interests.

The Prime Minister also called on political forces to adopt a clear and unified stance against attacks targeting state institutions, warning that such actions threaten the country’s future. He underscored that decisions of war and peace fall exclusively within the authority of the state, which alone is responsible for safeguarding Iraq’s interests.



PUKMEDIA