Final respects to Iraq ‘WMD’ leader Ahmad Chalabi

Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior dignitaries are paying final respects to prominent politician Ahmad Chalabi.

Chalabi died from a heart attack aged 71. Picture: AP

Mr Chalabi, who died of a heart attack on Tuesday aged 71, was buried in Najaf yesterday.

Mr Chalabi became a Pentagon favourite when he helped persuade the Bush administration to overthrow Saddam Hussein in 2003 by pushing false allegations of weapons of mass destruction and links to al-­Qaeda. However, he fell out with the Pentagon after the invasion, and was largely sidelined by ­other Iraqi leaders.

Other senior officials gathering at parliament in Baghdad included president Fouad Massoum and prominent Shiite cleric Ammar al-Hakim.

Mr Chalabi’s family was also there.

Mr Chalabi had most recently served as the chairman of parliament’s finance committee.