Fabricator (intelligence) ... Pentagon policy officials ... undertook the collection of sensitive intelligence. ... It was a rogue operation." "Ahmed Chalabi" is an Iraqi politician and Iranian agent who fed and promoted false intelligence reports of weapons of mass destruction to Bush Administration officials in order to encourage the 2003 invasion of Iraq. "Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi" is an Iraqi citizen who peddled fabrications regarding Iraqi WMDs to western intelligence services. Known under his codename "Curveball", his fabrications compromised the 2002 National Intelligence Estimate. He was a prolific fabricator with his information generating over 100 false intelligence reports for the BND and
Iraq and weapons of mass destruction the undisclosed seller attempted to sell weapons with fake chemical components. In addition, he once "called the intel guys to tell them he was going to turn [WMDs] over to the insurgents" unless he was paid immediately. However, the mission was overall considered a success for both nonproliferation and for minimizing risk exposure for military personnel on the ground in Iraq. Operation Avarice remained classified for security reasons until 2015. Retired Lieutenant General Richard P. Zahner, the former highest-ranking army intelligence officer in Iraq, praised the operation for having "neutralized what could have become an arsenal used against the US