# Asel al-Ghabandi

> **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou.
>
> Cite as: "Asel al-Ghabandi," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/asel-al-ghabandi/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia.

*Kuwaiti resistance figure during the 1990–91 Iraqi occupation; per John Kiriakou, a "bona fide hero" whose telephone reporting on Iraqi troop movements, roadblocks, atrocities, and the location of inspections reached the CIA every single day via NSA [call interception](/wiki/the-intercept) — Kiriakou's account of the resistance figure who best understood how to weaponize the certainty that the Americans were listening to everything.*

- **Role:** Member of the Kuwaiti resistance during the 1990–91 Iraqi occupation
- **Method:** Made telephone calls knowing NSA was intercepting them; reporting reached the CIA every day
- **Kiriakou's characterization:** "A bona fide hero"

**Asel al-Ghabandi** was a member of the Kuwaiti resistance during the 1990–91 Iraqi occupation. Per [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) she was *"a bona fide hero,"* and the resistance figure who best understood how to use the telephone — knowing that the NSA was intercepting every call and would forward the transcripts to the CIA and the Pentagon.[1][2]

Kiriakou: *"We were getting her reporting literally every single day. Every single day. And she's talking about Iraqi troop movements and where the roadblocks are and where the inspections are. She was talking about Iraqi atrocities, because the Iraqis as soon as they arrived, they started raping and killing and pillaging and stealing. They were monsters."*[3][4]

## See also

- [Saddam Hussein](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/saddam-hussein)
- [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)

## Sources

1. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 43:59. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2639s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
2. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 44:31. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2671s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
3. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 45:03. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2703s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/
4. Invasion of Kuwait: The American Intelligence Account | John Kiriakou | Bidoun Waraq Podcast (2026-02-26), at 45:33. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJq6inqowW4&t=2733s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-26-bidoun-waraq-kuwait-invasion/

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From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/asel-al-ghabandi/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt