Source: Dissolution of Iraq's Joint Operations Command

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq has abolished the Joint Operations Command (JOC) and folded its functions into the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, a security source told Shafaq News on Wednesday.

The source did not say whether the decision extends to the operations commands deployed across the Iraqi provinces or is limited to abolishing the central headquarters and transferring its powers and files to the Commander-in-Chief's office. The fate of the leaders and formations attached to the command also remains unclear.

Earlier this week, General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, the former interior minister, was appointed as director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who also serves as Commander-in-Chief. Al-Shammari's remit covers coordination and direction among Iraq's security agencies and formations.

About JOC

Iraq created the Joint Operations Command in 2007, at the height of armed operations by al-Qaeda and rising violence in the country, to unify the management of operations and coordinate between the Defense and Interior ministries and other security agencies under the direct supervision of the Commander-in-Chief. The command later played a central role in directing military and security operations, most prominently during the war against the ISIS group, and in coordinating security plans between federal forces and the provincial operations commands.