Insurgents Thwarting Iraq Reconstruction

[Barrett808]

Insurgents Thwarting Iraq Reconstruction
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer
12 minutes ago

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Guerrilla attacks in Iraq have forced the cancellation of more than 60 percent of water and sanitation projects, in part because American intelligence failed to predict the brutal insurgency, a U.S. government audit said.

American goals to fix Iraq's infrastructure will never be reached, mainly because insurgents have chased away contractors and forced the diversion of repair funds into security, according to an audit of the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Program released last week. It is the latest in a series of auditing reports being issued by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

The rise of Iraq's insurgency was never envisioned by U.S. officials, who originally budgeted about 9 percent of reconstruction aid for project security, the audit said.

As kidnappings, killings and sabotage drove local laborers and foreign technicians from the reconstruction program, U.S. administrators were forced to step up protection for workers.

New measures like armored vehicles, private security teams and blast walls absorbed as much as 22 percent of project costs, according to the audit by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

"The whole purpose of those attacks was to drive those contractors out," said Wayne White, who headed the State Department's Iraq intelligence team until last year. "Lots of them had to leave. They were terrified."

(more)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060201/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_failed_reconstruction

[libodem]

1. I wonder if Afganistan is still a pile of rubble as well?

And did all those women get out from under those burkas?

[Dangerously Amused]

2. Yup yup. Gotta be the insurgents' fault.

Can't POSSIBLY have anything to do with the stolen/missing $100 million.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7737306/

[oblivious]

3. Oh darn! So the Iraqi oil money had to be spent on US military equipment..

...instead of Iraqi labor. Who could ever have predicted that!

[VegasWolf]

4. Who could'a predicted?

:sarcasm:

[HuffleClaw]

5. "The rise of Iraq's insurgency was never envisioned by U.S. officials..."

? it wasn't ? wasn't bush talking last night about 'reconstruction'? though he seems to have forgotten that HE just cancelled any more funding for it.

[Barrett808]

6. Seems as though corruption has done as much 'thwarting' as rebels n/t

[dpbrown]

7. The US is too stupid to understand that people defend their country...

...leading to the insurgency...


Oh, I get it now....

[Jacobin]

8. Damn!! and Halliburton was SO looking forward to rebuilding

what the pentagon blew the fuck up.

If I were an Iraqi I think I would want the Americans to get the fork out of my country too.