When the US belatedly realised that it would have to rebuild Iraq, after the 2003 invasion, it came up with a plan to transport billions of Dollars in cash via Hercules cargo planes (each plane could carry around $2.4BN).
Many years, audits and investigations later the US Defence Department cannot account for what happened to around $6.6BN of that cash.
This remarkable admission of fiscal incompetence comes at a time when the US (primarily thanks to the wars in the Middle East) is broke.
The Los Angeles Times reports that for the first time federal auditors are suggesting that some/all of the cash may have been stolen. Given that cash (as opposed to credit or capital equipment) was used in such huge quantities, it is hardly surprising that it was stolen.
Quite why the US thought that cash (as opposed to credit or capital equipment) was the best way to rebuild a war torn country in the Middle East beggars belief.
Iraq is none to happy with the situation and Iraqi officials are threatening to go to court to reclaim the money, which came from Iraqi oil sales, seized Iraqi assets and surplus funds from the UN's oil-for-food program.
Given that the US is now broke, and in danger of defaulting on its debt, it will be interesting to see if that claim succeeds.
Showing posts with label pentagon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pentagon. Show all posts
Monday, June 13, 2011
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Pentagon Tries To Bury Report
Unsurprisingly the Pentagon tried to bury the report, released yesterday, that stated that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida (this of course had been the central plank of Bush's rationale for the invasion of Iraq).
The Pentagon cancelled a planned briefing about the report, and scrapped plans to post its findings on the internet. Unclassified copies of the report would be sent to interested individuals in the mail, military officials told ABC.
Another Pentagon official told ABC that initial press reports on the study made it "too politically sensitive".
Despite the Pentagon's attempts to bury the report, the media are awash with stories about it.
Mission Accomplished!
The Pentagon cancelled a planned briefing about the report, and scrapped plans to post its findings on the internet. Unclassified copies of the report would be sent to interested individuals in the mail, military officials told ABC.
Another Pentagon official told ABC that initial press reports on the study made it "too politically sensitive".
Despite the Pentagon's attempts to bury the report, the media are awash with stories about it.
Mission Accomplished!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Pentagon Paints Grim Picture
A report issued by the Pentagon yesterday states that in the three months since sending in a "surge" of US troops, the overall levels of violence in Iraq have not decreased. All that has happened is that the violence has been displaced from Baghdad and Anbar, where U.S. forces are concentrated, to rise in most other provinces.
The report also notes that Iraq's government has proven "uneven" in delivering on its commitments under the strategy. Public pledges by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have in many cases produced no concrete results.
The report notes that:
"some analysts see a growing fragmentation of Iraq....the Iraqi people would be better off if the country were divided into three or more separate countries."
A mess by anyone's standards.
The report also notes that Iraq's government has proven "uneven" in delivering on its commitments under the strategy. Public pledges by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have in many cases produced no concrete results.
The report notes that:
"some analysts see a growing fragmentation of Iraq....the Iraqi people would be better off if the country were divided into three or more separate countries."
A mess by anyone's standards.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Pentagon's Lies Exposed
When a country or political regime is losing a war, it searches desperately for stories that will encourage and embolden the "home front".
Usually, the more desperate the regime is to save its sorry reputation, the more embellished the stories become.
Under the full glare of a congressional committee, the lies told by the Pentagon (with the tacit approval of the Whitehouse) regarding the "heroism" of two of its service personnel have been exposed.
The brother of the late Cpl Pat Tillman, and Pte Jessica Lynch herself both appeared before the committee and debunked the stories propagated by the Pentagon about the heroism of Pte Lynch and Cpl Tillman.
Miss Lynch, who was injured near Nasiriyah in the 2003 invasion, said:
"I am still confused why they chose to lie and make me a legend."
Kevin Tillman, brother of Cpl Tillman, said that the deception "crossed the legal definition of fraud".
When a country and a "regime" deceives its own people in this way, the war is most assuredly lost and the grip on power of that "regime" failing fast.
Usually, the more desperate the regime is to save its sorry reputation, the more embellished the stories become.
Under the full glare of a congressional committee, the lies told by the Pentagon (with the tacit approval of the Whitehouse) regarding the "heroism" of two of its service personnel have been exposed.
The brother of the late Cpl Pat Tillman, and Pte Jessica Lynch herself both appeared before the committee and debunked the stories propagated by the Pentagon about the heroism of Pte Lynch and Cpl Tillman.
Miss Lynch, who was injured near Nasiriyah in the 2003 invasion, said:
"I am still confused why they chose to lie and make me a legend."
Kevin Tillman, brother of Cpl Tillman, said that the deception "crossed the legal definition of fraud".
When a country and a "regime" deceives its own people in this way, the war is most assuredly lost and the grip on power of that "regime" failing fast.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
The Dirty World of Espionage
It seems that as American forces were entering Iraq, the Russian ambassador was feeding Saddam Hussein information about the US strategy and troop movements.
That at least is the story according to the Pentagon, who issued a report on the matter yesterday.
The Russians, seemingly, were telling Saddam that they obtained the information from sources inside the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha.
However, it seems that key details provided to Hussein by the Russians were wrong.
At this point I would suggest that the Americans probably knew full well that the Russians were playing dirty, and were most likely feeding them false information.
Five days after the invasion of Iraq the Russians sent a report to Saddam.
It warned that as U.S. forces moved from Kuwait, troops would bypass Iraqi cities and instead occupy the countryside, thereby isolating the rest of the country from its western border.
On April 2nd 2003, Iraq's foreign minister sent a memo to Hussein telling him that he had information from the Russian ambassador in Baghdad. The memo said that U.S. forces would not invade Baghdad until after the 4th Infantry Division arrived.
Needless to say the intelligence proved wrong, as sure as eggs are eggs the Americans were wise to the Russians game and were feeding false information.
Nonetheless, the Russians have some explaining to do!
That at least is the story according to the Pentagon, who issued a report on the matter yesterday.
The Russians, seemingly, were telling Saddam that they obtained the information from sources inside the U.S. Central Command headquarters in Doha.
However, it seems that key details provided to Hussein by the Russians were wrong.
At this point I would suggest that the Americans probably knew full well that the Russians were playing dirty, and were most likely feeding them false information.
Five days after the invasion of Iraq the Russians sent a report to Saddam.
It warned that as U.S. forces moved from Kuwait, troops would bypass Iraqi cities and instead occupy the countryside, thereby isolating the rest of the country from its western border.
On April 2nd 2003, Iraq's foreign minister sent a memo to Hussein telling him that he had information from the Russian ambassador in Baghdad. The memo said that U.S. forces would not invade Baghdad until after the 4th Infantry Division arrived.
Needless to say the intelligence proved wrong, as sure as eggs are eggs the Americans were wise to the Russians game and were feeding false information.
Nonetheless, the Russians have some explaining to do!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Demands For Judge To Be Ousted
Aides to Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmad Chalabi, have said that they will demand the dismissal of Raid Juhi the judge who has led the investigations of the mass killings committed under Saddam Hussein.
This demand will go in the face of US calls for restraint.
Raid Juhi is the most prominent of 19 judges, prosecutors and officials on the list of those to be purged from the Iraqi tribunal set up to try Saddam.
All of the 19 are former members of Saddam's Baath Party, and therefore legally ineligible to work for the tribunal.
However, Juhi as the tribunal's chief investigative judge is considered by the Americans to be central to the work of the tribunal.
Juhi has not commented publicly on the controversy. However, it is believed by some that Chalabi, who was once a favourite of the Pentagon, was using the issue as cover for a political manoeuvre to protect Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric who is Chalabi's new political partner.
Juhi, in 2003 issued a warrant for the arrest of al-Sadr, who led two uprisings against U.S. troops last year, on murder charges. It is possible that Chalabi is trying to punish Juhi for this.
The warrant, held in abeyance by Iraqi officials as part of the deal that ended al-Sadr's rebellion, charged him with ordering the killing of Ayatollah Abdul Majid al-Khoei, a prominent Shiite cleric.
Chalabi formed a partnership with al-Sadr, for the elections held in January, and it is believed that he hopes to become prime minister after the next round of elections in December.
He would need the help of al-Sadr for these hopes to come to fruition.
Politics is very dirty business, and politicians' motives and actions should always be taken with a pinch of salt.
This demand will go in the face of US calls for restraint.
Raid Juhi is the most prominent of 19 judges, prosecutors and officials on the list of those to be purged from the Iraqi tribunal set up to try Saddam.
All of the 19 are former members of Saddam's Baath Party, and therefore legally ineligible to work for the tribunal.
However, Juhi as the tribunal's chief investigative judge is considered by the Americans to be central to the work of the tribunal.
Juhi has not commented publicly on the controversy. However, it is believed by some that Chalabi, who was once a favourite of the Pentagon, was using the issue as cover for a political manoeuvre to protect Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric who is Chalabi's new political partner.
Juhi, in 2003 issued a warrant for the arrest of al-Sadr, who led two uprisings against U.S. troops last year, on murder charges. It is possible that Chalabi is trying to punish Juhi for this.
The warrant, held in abeyance by Iraqi officials as part of the deal that ended al-Sadr's rebellion, charged him with ordering the killing of Ayatollah Abdul Majid al-Khoei, a prominent Shiite cleric.
Chalabi formed a partnership with al-Sadr, for the elections held in January, and it is believed that he hopes to become prime minister after the next round of elections in December.
He would need the help of al-Sadr for these hopes to come to fruition.
Politics is very dirty business, and politicians' motives and actions should always be taken with a pinch of salt.
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Nine Expelled From Tribunal
Nine staff members of the Iraqi Special Tribunal, preparing to try Saddam Hussein, have been dismissed because of their links to the Baath Party.
There are also another 19 cases reportedly under review.
A system of De-Baathification, similar to the De-Nazification of Germany, is being employed in Iraq.
The executive director of the Supreme National Commission for de-Baathification, Ali al-Lami, said that the nine held administrative jobs such as; the witness security protection program and tribunal security.
Amongst the remaining 19 being considered for expulsion are a number of judges, including chief judge Raid Juhi.
The head of the government committee in charge of purging former Baath officials is Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, he was once a Pentagon favorite.
His spokesman, Entifadh Qanbar, is quoted as saying:
"We believe that many Baathists have infiltrated the special tribunal and they should be dismissed. The reasons behind the delay in the trial of Saddam is the presence of Baathists in the special tribunal, and they represent an obstacle to the trial of the former regime members."
The need for speed in bringing Saddam Hussein to trial is now keenly felt. The longer the delay goes on, the worse the situation in respect of the body count becomes as Iraq lurches towards civil war.
The trial is being seen as a palliative for Iraq's ills.
To my view, a more effective palliative would have been an effective, efficient and well thought through reconstruction programme in the aftermath of the "regime change" operation.
However, as the people of Iraq and the rest of the world are now learning to their cost, there was no effective post decapitation plan in place.
Let us trust that there are no other "regime change" plans being considered.
There are also another 19 cases reportedly under review.
A system of De-Baathification, similar to the De-Nazification of Germany, is being employed in Iraq.
The executive director of the Supreme National Commission for de-Baathification, Ali al-Lami, said that the nine held administrative jobs such as; the witness security protection program and tribunal security.
Amongst the remaining 19 being considered for expulsion are a number of judges, including chief judge Raid Juhi.
The head of the government committee in charge of purging former Baath officials is Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi, he was once a Pentagon favorite.
His spokesman, Entifadh Qanbar, is quoted as saying:
"We believe that many Baathists have infiltrated the special tribunal and they should be dismissed. The reasons behind the delay in the trial of Saddam is the presence of Baathists in the special tribunal, and they represent an obstacle to the trial of the former regime members."
The need for speed in bringing Saddam Hussein to trial is now keenly felt. The longer the delay goes on, the worse the situation in respect of the body count becomes as Iraq lurches towards civil war.
The trial is being seen as a palliative for Iraq's ills.
To my view, a more effective palliative would have been an effective, efficient and well thought through reconstruction programme in the aftermath of the "regime change" operation.
However, as the people of Iraq and the rest of the world are now learning to their cost, there was no effective post decapitation plan in place.
Let us trust that there are no other "regime change" plans being considered.
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