[ Monday, April 04, 2005 ]
US & UK Relied on 'Drunken Liar' to Justify War on Iraq
'Crazy' Iraqi spy was full of misinformation, says reportEdward Helmore in New York Sunday April 3, 2005
The ObserverAn alcoholic cousin of an aide to Ahmed Chalabi has emerged as the key source in the US rationale for going to war in Iraq.According to a US presidential commission looking into pre-war intelligence failures, the basis for pivotal intelligence on Iraq's alleged biological weapons programmes and fleet of mobile labs was a spy described as 'crazy' by his intelligence handlers and a 'congenital liar' by his friends.
The defector, given the code-name Curveball by the CIA, has emerged as the central figure in the corruption of US intelligence estimates on Iraq. Despite considerable doubts over Curveball's credibility, his claims were included in the administration's case for war without caveat.
art [1:18 AM]
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