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Iraqi spy chief discusses IS and intel cooperation

Al-Monitor was granted an exclusive interview with the head of Iraq’s secretive counterterrorism intelligence unit, Abu Ali al-Basri. The Falcon Intelligence Cell director discussed what remains of the Islamic State, potential future risks and how the unit shares information with other countries.
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BAGHDAD — The head of Iraq’s Falcon Intelligence Cell knocked sharply on a wooden table nearby, saying the unit had lost "less than a handful of men’’ in its operations against al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) over the years.

He told Iraqi media July 29  that Islamic State (IS) commander Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is currently in Syria and retains significant influence despite serious spinal injuries.

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