NIIA opens new headquarters in Baghdad
Multi-National Force-Iraq
Monday, 29 December 2008
Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq
Public Affairs Office
Phoenix Base
APO AE 09348
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No. 081229-01
December 29, 2008
Contact: pao@iraq.centcom.milThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
DSN: 318-852-1332
IRAQNA: 0790-194-0270
NIIA opens new headquarters in Baghdad
BAGHDAD – The Iraq Ministry of Interior’s National Information and Investigation Agency held a dedication ceremony Dec. 27 at its new headquarters in Baghdad. The agency and its employees are working to build a more secure future for Iraq.
Minister of Interior Jawad al-Bolani cut the ribbon opening the new headquarters. He praised the NIIA employees for their dedication and progress in improving security throughout the nation.
The new site contains two large office buildings: the headquarters of the NIIA and the Baghdad Bureau headquarters. Construction on the $17 million project started in June 2007 and was completed this summer.
State-of-the-art secure communications equipment, computers and workstations were then installed in the spacious facilities. The primary contractor for the project was URS Tetra-Tech EC. The project provided employment for hundreds of Iraqis.
The ceremony formally marked the handover of the facility from the U.S. government to the Ministry of Interior. Brig. Gen. Amer Kudair Abbas, Director of the National Information General Directorate, was in charge of preparation for the dedication ceremony.
With the new headquarters, the NIIA will be able to consolidate several directorates and operations spread throughout Baghdad in one convenient and efficient location. In the past three years, the NIIA had grown from 3,500 employees in 2006 to more than 9,000 today. It has become the premier national law enforcement agency in Iraq. NIIA conducts criminal intelligence and investigative operations throughout the country to defeat domestic criminal activities that threaten Iraq’s national security.
“The NIIA progress is remarkable. It has grown to 9,000 employees today, adhering to the principles of the Rule of Law to make Iraq safer, more secure and democratic,” said Lt. Gen. Frank G. Helmick, commanding general of Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq. MNSTC – I provided the funding for the NIIA project.
Deputy Minister Maj. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal, director of the NIIA, said Minister Bolani’s direct support had a positive impact on the NIIA’s developing functions and expansions. The NIIA has more than doubled in size since Minister Bolani became Interior Minister in June 2006.
“These employees have diligently worked hard to build a united, democratic Iraq with prevailing justice,” said Kamal. “Our investigators are trained with the most advanced techniques today. These law enforcement professionals tackle the latest criminal techniques while exploiting and breaking criminal networks.”
He added that the NIIA will continue to, “Work hard through dedication to maintain law and order, preserve lives of Iraqis, abide by the Constitution and the Rule of Law, and adhere to human rights.”
The agency was formed in 2003 as the Police & Service Agency. Its name changed to the Criminal Intelligence Service in 2004. In 2006, Kamal request the Minister change the name from CIS to the National Information and Investigation Agency to rid the Interior Ministry of the stigma of intelligence under the Saddam regime.
MNSTC – I’s Intelligence Transition Team assists with the training of NIIA personnel. This year, the NIIA implemented a multi-tiered vetting plan for personnel hiring and assignments and began conducting polygraph examiner training.
Col. Benjamin D. Lukefahr, senior advisor for the NIIA, said the Intel-TT has worked diligently to build capacity and improve the performance for the NIIA. He said with the new facility, the NIIA will have its administrative, security, logistics and operations offices working side-by-side with the Baghdad Information Bureau in conducting “critical investigative and intelligence operations.”
The NIIA consists of a national headquarters, 15 provincial offices, six regional bureaus, 56 district offices and 13 Port-of-Entry offices. It conducts criminal intelligence and investigative operations at the national level.
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FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL SECURITY TRANSITION COMMAND – IRAQ PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY E-MAIL AT PAO@MNSTCI.IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL OR BY PHONE AT DSN: (318) 852-1332 OR IRAQNA: 0790-194-0270. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION VISIT: WWW.MNSTCI.IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL .
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