CIA continues to finance Chalabi group for information about Iraqi resistance
Iraq-USA, Politics, 3/13/2004

American officials disclosed that the US finances the Iraqi national congress in exile which is presided over by Ahmad Chalabi some 340,000 dollars per month for intelligence information about the Iraqi resistance.

For years before the war against Iraq, Chalabi who was living in exile before he became a member in the Iraqi governing council sought to push the US to enable Iraq get rid off the government of Saddam Hussein.

Within this context, the Chalabi group before the war directed several Iraqi separatists to the American government to give intelligence information from inside Iraq, critics say now, they were exaggerated with the aim to push the US to launch a war against the Iraqi government.

But even with the existence of the American forces now on the soil of Iraq after toppling Saddam Hussein in April, 2003, the American government is still paying money to the Iraqi national congress in order to get information.

One American official asked to be anonymous said "we still receive information from them. There are many rebellions who carry out evil things and the Iraqi national congress has a plenty of information sources and there are better sources every day." He added that the Iraqi national congress gave information that helped in preventing attacks by the resistance.

In a hearing session held by the armed forces committee of the US Senate this week, Senator Hilary Clinton, the democratic member in the council asked the director of the CIA George Tenet on whether he still pays money to the Iraqi national congress and he answered "we do not pay them."

And when Mrs. Clinton asked the same question to Admiral Lowell Jacooby, the director of the defense intelligence agency he said " you put me in a better position when this matter is dealt with in a close session when I can give details to you."

In an interview with the CBS TV on Sunday Chalabi was asked about the American money and he said it is "a very small program regarding the cost." Officials said that the congress permitted the sums for a "program to collect intelligence information," which was transferred from the Department Of State to the defense intelligence agency two years before, through which sums are paid for collecting intelligence information gathered by the Iraqi National Congress.

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