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US
sees
rising
civilian
toll
in
Iraq
At
least
232
civilians
have
been
killed
while
working
on
US-funded
contracts
in
Iraq
and
the
toll
is
rising
rapidly,
according
to
a
US
government
audit.
The
quarterly
report
released
on
Sunday
and
sent
to
Congress
by
the
inspector-general
appointed
to
audit
US-funded
work
in
Iraq
said
that
security
problems
were
the
biggest
obstacle
to
Iraq's
reconstruction
and
that
workers
faced
grave
risks
daily. "One
cannot
spend
a
day
in
Iraq
without
quickly
gaining
a "Their
work
and
sacrifice
in
Iraq
make
all
the
more
crucial
our
success
in
promoting
economy,
efficiency
and
effectiveness
in
preventing
fraud,
waste
and
abuse,"
he
added
in
the
report,
released
after
Iraqis
voted
on
Sunday. No
civilian
tally People
working
on
US-funded
projects
in
Iraq
increasingly More
than
1400
US
troops
have
been
killed
in
Iraq
but
the
US
government
does
not
keep
an
official
tally
of
the
number
of
civilians
slain
while
working
on
US-funded
projects
there
and
in
support
of
US
forces. Bowen
cited
US
Labour
Department
statistics
that
showed The
DBA
requires
all
US
government
contractors
to
acquire Deaths
unreported Not
all
US
employers
would
have
filed
DBA
claims
for
workers
killed
in
Iraq
and
the
toll
from
civilians
killed
is
likely
to
be
higher
than
232,
said
one
US
official. Attacks
on
US-funded
work
sites,
convoys
and
employees
averaged
about
22
a
week
until
3
January,
the
report
said In
addition,
728
DBA
claims
were
filed
for
employees
who
missed
more
than
four
days
of
work.
Several
hundred
more
were
reported
from
neighbouring
Kuwait
where
companies
working
in
Iraq
have
logistics
and
support
operations. Bowen
said
the
tough
security
environment
was
delaying On
12
January,
the
Project
and
Contracting
Office
in
Iraq,
which
is
in
charge
of
most
US-funded
work
there,
said
security
issues
delayed
by
two
weeks
17%
of
their projects
in
central
Iraq
and
15%
in
northern
Iraq. Rising
security
costs Attacks
on
US-funded
work
sites,
convoys
and
employees
averaged
about
22
a
week
until
3
January,
the
report
said. Auditors
said
the
cost
of
paying
for
private
security US
rebuilding
work
in
Iraq
has
been
criticised
for
being
too
slow.
The
report
said
as
of
5
January,
only
$2.4
billion
of
the
total
$18.4
billion
had
been
spent
on
rebuilding
and
$10.3
billion
had
been
contractually
obligated
for
future
work. Bowen
said
his
office
had
looked
at
134
potential
criminal
cases
involving
US-funded
projects
and
25
of
these
had
been
passed
on
to
other
US
agencies,
63
had
been
closed
and
his
department
was
still
looking
at
46
cases. The
report
also
cited
an
audit
by
the
State
Department
that
estimated
US
defence
contractor
DynCorp,
a
unit
of No
other
details
were
given
of
the
case.
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