Shafaq News / Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, has appointed Major General Karim Aboud Al-Tamimi as the new chief of the Counter-terrorism service, replacing Abdulwahab Al-Saadi.

Shafaq News Agency has obtained exclusive insights into Al-Tamimi's military career.

Born in 1963, Al-Tamimi's served as the second-in-command in the Counter-terrorism service from 2019 to 2023.

Al-Tamimi previously served as the director of a department within the Military Movements (currently Operations) division from 2004 to 2006. Following this, he assumed the position of Deputy Operations Commander in the Ministry of Defense from 2006 to 2007. He was also Director in the Counter-terrorism service from 2007 to 2009 and subsequently as the commander of the second Special Operations Unit within the service from 2009 to 2014.

His contributions extended beyond operational roles; Al-Tamimi served as an advisor to the Counterterrorism Unit from 2014 to 2016. Later, he took on the responsibility of overseeing the security of the Green Zone in mid-2016, a role entrusted to him by the former Prime Minister, Haider Al-Abadi.

A source told Shafaq News Agency that Al-Tamimi was the sole commander who refused to retreat from Mosul, engaging in defensive combat alongside Brigadier General Faisal Al-Zamili, who lost his life in the battle.

He ensured the safe evacuation of all equipment and weaponry from Mosul, and defended the Baiji refinery even after the city fell into the hands of ISIS, until reinforcements reached him.