Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi produced erroneous information for the United States in the run-up to the Iraq War, providing a justification for the disastrous invasion. He regrets nothing. Perhaps then we should be very circumspect about his intelligence regarding ISIS. There seems nothing out of line, however, about these two brief excerpts from Dieter Bednarz’s new Spiegel interview with Chalabi.
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Spiegel:
A senior American diplomat in Baghdad told us that Islamic State fighters are “sociopaths led by psychopaths.”
Ahmed Chalabi:
That may apply to the fighters from the West who feel excluded in Europe and come here for that reason. But the leaders are former officers in the Iraqi army or professors. They are not psychopaths, they know exactly what they are doing, are very well organized and have a strict hierarchy.
Spiegel:
What is so fascinating about Islamic State that hundreds of Sunnis are rushing to join?
Ahmed Chalabi:
Islamic State isn’t corrupt. That makes it very attractive in a country like Iraq. And of course many are attracted by its military success. For the first time, the Sunnis have an effective fighting force. For Sunnis, Islamic State has a function similar to that of Hezbollah for Shiites. Before they conquered Mosul, Islamic State had maybe 10,000 fighters, but now they have many more. Their recruitment rate is enormously high: Each month, some 2,000 men are trained. And their success radiates to Jordan, Libya and the Arabian Peninsula — even as far as Mali and Pakistan.
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Spiegel:
Where will the next battlefield be?
Ahmed Chalabi:
Islamic State is following a clear strategy. First, it wants to solidify its power in Iraq and Syria. Then, their fighters will try to advance to Syria’s Mediterranean coast. If they are successful, that will be seen as their next great triumph. And then, their target will be Jordan, where things will be easy for them. Already, Islamic State has broad support in many cities there. And when they get there, it will once again come as a great surprise to everybody.•