Saudi Arabia has announced the creation of three new government bodies aimed at improving the country's intelligence operations in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

According to Saudi News Agency, the new government departments - for strategy and development, legal affairs, and performance evaluation and internal review - aim to ensure that intelligence operations align with national security policy, international law and human rights treaties.

It said they were created by a committee chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's defence minister.

The kingdom declared that it will "continue the development and governance of its institutions as part of its strategy to develop the government system, especially the security and intelligence agencies, in pursuit of achieving best international practices".

King Salman ordered a restructuring of the intelligence service in October after authorities acknowledged that Khashoggi had been killed inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate by a team of Saudi intelligence and security agents.

Saudi officials said that the 15-man team was put together by the deputy head of the General Intelligence Presidency, Ahmed al-Asiri, whom the king fired along with royal adviser Saud al-Qahtani.