Volume 1 - Iraq Watch

M6, Directorate of Internal SecurityKhalid Najim ‘Abdallah Sultan Al Tikriti directeda staff of approximately 200 security officers whoacted as political minders within the IIS. Personallyappointed by Saddam, the M6 director had sweepingpowers of investigation and financial authority.Like a satellite office of the SSO, M6 and its threedivisions monitored the loyalty of all IIS employees.The first division supplied liaison officers to each IISdirectorate and was responsible for technical monitoring,the archives, and security of the MIC; the seconddivision was responsible for political mail, diplomaticcouriers, and information security; and the third wasresponsible for the physical security of IIS headquartersand its arsenal.M7, Directorate of Investigation and ProsecutionM7 oversaw the Hakamiyah prison facility in Baghdadand was last headed by Haythim Khalil IbrahimAl Rawi. M7 had sub-directorates to investigate Arabsand foreigners, as well as for prison management andadministration. M6 and M10 often provided additionalsupport in internal investigations and interrogations.M8, Directorate of Liberation MovementsIn the opinion of a former IIS officer, the M8 Directoratewas a political office instead of an intelligencecollection or exploitation directorate. Formerlydirected by Khalid Al Duri, M8 was responsiblefor supplying administrative support for approvedPalestinian organizations, receiving guests, providinghospitality, and arranging visits with officials.The source also stated that the M8 director reporteddirectly to Tariq ‘Aziz on matters concerning Palestinianscoming to Iraq from Syria.M9, Directorate of CommunicationsM9 dealt with landline and wireless communicationsrequirements between all IIS directorates. The IISprimarily used landlines for communications security;wireless communications were used only as an alternativeif the land lines were down. The last directorof M9 was Shibli Muhammad ‘Ali. Information isnot yet available in regards to when M9 assumed itsbenign role of communications.Structure of M9/J (1980 to 1990)M9/J, headed by Dr. Muhammad from 1980 to 1987,consisted of at least fi ve sections until 1984: Administrationand Archives, Analysis and Biology Testingand Concealment, Evaluations, Implementation,and the Special Material sections. After 1984, M9/Jrestructured its fi ve branches:• Administration and Archives Section• Secret Communications Section• Physiochemical Analysis and Criminal InvestigationsSection• Special Materials Sections–Chemical Production–Analysis and Implementation• Explosives Section–Explosives Preparation–Explosives InvestigationThe Secret Communications section handled themonitoring of postal communications and the developmentof invisible or secret inks. The PhysiochemicalAnalysis and Criminal Investigations sectionconducted scientifi c analysis and research. TheExplosives section was an independent unit that waslocated separate from the rest of M9/J to keep it ascompartmented as possible. It conducted both explosivepreparations and investigations for both offensiveand defensive purposes.Dr. Al Azmirli, after leaving M9/J in 1987, acted asa technical and scientifi c consultant who reporteddirectly to the IIS director. Dr. ‘Ali Mukhlif replacedAl Azmirli as head of M9/J, however by 1988, Dr.Mukhlif could not directly report to the IIS directoras in the past. He was required to report to a GeneralDirector (directorate level) and a “technical advisor.”Mukhlif would see the department through its nexttransformation in 1990, but he was replaced by Dr.‘Amir ‘Awan Juma’a Al Tikriti in 1991.Regime StrategicIntent77