Riyadh- Royal orders issued by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Thursday highlighted a greater promotion and endorsement for a counterterrorism special forces unit.

Dubbed as the ‘Presidency of State Security’, the body is tasked with monitoring and fighting any funding or activities linked to terrorism.

The royal orders reshaped national security agency, bringing together counter-terrorism and domestic intelligence under the authority of a single body.

More so, the Thursday list of royal decrees saw the separation of many security bodies from the interior ministry—namely: general intelligence, special security forces, special emergency forces, security air forces, the directorate general of technical affairs, and the national information center.

All former sectors will function within the newly found security apparatus. Fiscal reviews and monitoring as well as anti-terror operations will be a function of the new body.

All that is related to the tasks of state security will be transferred from the security affairs agency and other authorities in interior ministry to the Presidency for State Security.

These include the functions of military and civil employees, budgets, documents and data.

Another Royal decree terminated the military services of General Abdulaziz Bin Muhammad Al-Huwairini and appointed him as Chief of State Security with the rank of minister. He will continue in his post as Director General of General Intelligence.

Another royal order appointed the Minister of Interior as member of the Council for Political and Security Affairs.

A royal decree appointing Abdullah Abdulkareem Bin Abdulaziz Al-Isa as Assistant Chief of State Security in the rank of minister has been issued.

The Chief of State Security will partake in the national Council for Political and Security Affairs.

The setting up of the Presidency for State Security will enable interior ministry authorities to provide better services to citizens and expatriates.

Establishing the state-level security apparatus will usher in a positive economic effect. It is expected to rationalize state expenditure, increase revenues, achieve economic growth in the Kingdom, create competitiveness for the Saudi economy, result in a growth of exports and decrease dependence on off-shore revenues.

Tens of billions of Saudi riyals will be saved from the state budget by raising work efficiency, reducing and rationalizing spending. The increase in revenues will have a positive effect on government spending on social services and infrastructure.

The late Prince Naif Bin Abdulaziz is accredited to the visionary insight which brought about the establishment of the body. Therefore, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman has approved and supported this vision and the concept of the Presidency for State Security.