The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an Iraqi opposition group founded in 1992 as the first major unified effort by Saddam Hussein's opponents following the 1991 Gulf War. It served as an umbrella organization uniting diverse anti-Saddam factions, including Feyli Kurds, Shia Arabs, Sunni Arabs (both fundamentalist and secular), Kurds of all religions, non-Muslim Arabs, monarchists, nationalists, and ex-military officers. Deeply involved with the U.S. CIA from its inception, which provided early funding and support—reportedly $12 million in covert funds—the INC was often described as a 'creation of the CIA' rather than a purely organic Iraqi movement. Led by Ahmad Chalabi, a secular Iraqi Shiite mathematician and former chairman of Petra Bank in Jordan, who was selected to lead its executive council, the group used its position as a primary vehicle for lobbying the U.S. government for regime change in Iraq. It provided defectors and intelligence to U.S. media and government to build the case for regime change. Following the 2003 U.S. invasion, the INC's pro-American stance shifted in 2006 amid alleged disputes with the U.S., turning towards Iran. Chalabi led the party until his death in 2015, after which Aras Habib, a Feyli Kurd, was elected general secretary, making the party primarily run by Feyli Kurds today.