Accessibility links

Breaking News

Prominent Iraqi Politician Chalabi Dies At Age 71


Ahmed Chalabi in Baghdad in July 2014
Ahmed Chalabi in Baghdad in July 2014

Iraqi politician Ahmad Chalabi, a leading voice behind the U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, has died at age 71.

Haitham al-Jabouri, secretary of parliament's financial panel, which Chalabi had chaired, said attendants found him dead of a heart attack in his Baghdad home on November 3.

Chalabi was widely seen as the man who helped push the United States into invading Iraq in 2003 with information about Hussein's weapons of mass destruction program.

After the dictator’s fall, Chalabi returned from exile and led some of the de-Ba'athification programs designed to dismantle the legacy of Hussein's party.

Once viewed by Washington as a potential successor to Hussein to lead postwar Iraq, Chalabi soon fell out of favor with his American backers because Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction never materialized.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG