Ahmad Chalabi
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An ally of the United States prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi, the leader of the exiled Iraqi National Congress (INC) during Saddam Hussein's rule, encouraged military action against Iraq by providing the U.S. with information from defectors that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction. Chalabi was rewarded for his support with U.S. financing for the INC, and was seen by the White House and the Pentagon as the likely leader of Iraq after the war. After the war, however, Chalabi fell into disfavor when it emerged that no weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq. Chalabi was subsequently accused of passing top-secret U.S. intelligence to Iran, revealing that the U.S. had broken communication codes used by the Iranian spy service. In response, the U.S. ended its support for Chalabi's organization, raided his Baghdad home, and launched an investigation of the matter.
Last updated: August 29, 2004.
