Defectors' Reports on Iraq Arms Were Embellished, Exile Asserts

[Judi Lynn]

Defectors' Reports on Iraq Arms Were Embellished, Exile Asserts
By JIM DWYER

Published: July 9, 2004


Shortly after President Bush declared war on terrorism in the fall of 2001, the Iraqi National Congress, the exile group led by Ahmad Chalabi, sent out a simple, urgent message to its network of intelligence agents: find evidence of outlawed weapons that would make Saddam Hussein a prime target for the United States.

Inevitably, that request reached Muhammad al-Zubaidi, himself an Iraqi exile who had been working to undermine Mr. Hussein for 24 years from posts in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and northern Iraq. Under the playful name of Al Deeb - Arabic for The Wolf - Mr. Zubaidi, now 52, served as a field leader for about 75 to 100 people who collected information on the machinations of Iraq's police state.
(snip)

Despite this, Mr. Kay said that during the hunt for weapons last year, a number of the defectors admitted they were lying after being put through a polygraph test. "Some of them claimed to have been coached by the I.N.C., and some of them claimed to have been coached on how to pass polygraphs," Mr. Kay said.

Mr. Zubaidi said, "I don't want to criticize U.S. agencies, but it's strange that the U.S. with all its powerful agencies, the C.I.A., could not manage to know the truth from the lies in these people."
(snip/...)

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/09/politics/09defe.html?pagewanted=1
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[struggle4progress]

1. Did NYT finally decide it was safe to print this story? Oh, brave NYT! eom

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

2. Are we still paying Ahmed Chalabi $300,000 a month?

As they say a fool and his money are soon parted. Would someone tell G DUHbya it's the taxpayer's money he's spending?