ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has appointed Basim al-Badri as head of the Iraqi National Security Service, replacing Abdul Karim al-Basri, state media reported on Thursday.

A senior government source told the Iraqi state media that “Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi assigned Basim al-Badri as head of the Iraqi National Security Service, succeeding Abdul Karim al-Basri.”

Badri is a political and administrative figure who has led Iraq’s Accountability and Justice Commission since 2013, the body responsible for vetting public officials and candidates for links to Saddam Hussein’s former Baath Party.

He previously served as head of the National Security Service in Wasit province and began his public career as a member of the Wasit Provincial Council.

Badri holds a doctorate in political science, a master’s degree in military studies, and a bachelor’s degree in history.

He was also among the names floated within the Coordination Framework as a potential candidate for prime minister in April, being seen as a possible compromise figure after Nouri al-Maliki, the leader of the Islamic Dawa Party to which Badri also belongs, had his candidacy scuppered after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut off support for Iraq should he assume the position.

The National Security Service was established in 2005 and has served as a key security and intelligence actor within the country, tacking threats such as jihadist groups, drug smugglers, and arms dealers, among others. 

According to the service's official website, it "undertakes the use of intelligence and security means in clear scientific, technical and methodological ways to preserve the state from threats that aim to undermine the state’s entity, the security and stability of society, and the development of its other basic interests, in cooperation with other concerned state agencies."