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Expert: Algerian presidency strips intelligence apparatus of power

October 21, 2015 at 10:00 am

Algeria is witnessing a swift shift in power from the intelligence apparatus towards the president and the Chiefs of Staff.

The scene could not be more obvious than with the firing of the head of Algeria’s fearsome intelligence service, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security and the longest serving intelligence chief in the world who dominated Algerian politics for 25 years, Mohamed “Toufik” Mediene who was known as the “Lord of Algeria”.

Leaked information from the president’s office indicates that orders have been received to reduce the number of intelligence generals from 25 to six during the last three months after 13 brigades and generals were given retirement.

Commander of the Anti-Terrorism Unit General Abdulqader Ait and retired Brigadier General Hussein Bin Hadeed were sentenced to prison terms.

In an interview with Quds Press, Algerian security expert Karim Moulai said these measures are “extraordinary” and “clearly reflect the state of tension between the presidency and the army’s Chief of Staff wing and the intelligence apparatus.”

Moulai said: “These dramatic changes come as the state of President Bouteflika’s health continues to deteriorate; he wants his entourage to form a new security apparatus that follows their orders and supervises the post-Bouteflika era.”

He added that leaked information from Algeria suggests that the new phase will see a fresh political map with the security force at its core.

The newly-appointed Chief of the Intelligence Service Major General Othman Tirtaq’s days are numbered, Moulai warned, adding that his task is limited to dismantling the intelligence apparatus.