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In letter, king points to reduced intelligence agency role in Jordan's public life

A letter sent by King Abdullah II to the head of the powerful General Intelligence Directorate Gen. Ahmad Husni on Feb. 17 is keeping the kingdom's political class guessing over what the letter really means.

Jordanian King Abdullah II gestures as he delivers a speech at the European Parliament, on January 15, 2020, in Strasbourg, eastern France. (Photo by Frederick FLORIN / AFP) (Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Jordanian King Abdullah II gestures as he delivers a speech at the European Parliament, on Jan. 15, 2020, in Strasbourg, eastern France. — FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images

A letter sent by King Abdullah to influential General Intelligence Directorate (GID) head Gen. Ahmad Husni on Feb. 17 is keeping the kingdom's political class guessing over what the king really wants. In the lengthy letter, the king praised the GID’s role over the past years but called on Husni to continue the process of renewal, modernization and development of the department. 

The king said that as the kingdom marks its second centennial, the time has come for the department “to allow the country’s institutions to immediately step up to their constitutional and legal responsibilities in order to release the GID from the great burden it had to carry over the years.”

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