War & Disaster Profiteering

Iraqi investigators have uncovered widespread fraud and waste in more than $1 billion worth of weapons deals arranged by middlemen who reneged or took huge kickbacks on contracts to arm Iraq's fledgling military, according to a confidential report and interviews with U.S. and Iraqi officials. Read More

No private contractors have so far faced prosecution despite their implication in the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq, according to a new Pentagon report. Read More

In a report the Pentagon submitted to Congress earlier this year, some partial figures have been released. From May 2003 through October 2004, U.S. authorities recorded at least 1,171 contractor casualties, including 166 contractors who were killed. Read More

The popularity of steroid abuse has long been discussed as American troops and contractors in Iraq work out in gyms set up in bases and even in the mirrored halls of one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces. Read More

The United States risks having "little to show for billions" of dollars spent on Iraqi reconstruction because of rising security costs and mismanagement, a new report said. Read More

Deaths of Iraqis and foreigners working for U.S. companies in Iraq are increasing more rapidly than American contractor deaths as insurgents target reconstruction projects, according to a Pentagon inspector. Read More

Rebuilding Iraq is seen by the Bush administration as a major foreign policy priority but three U.S. government reports released this week -- the latest on Sunday -- indicate ambitious reconstruction goals are falling short. Read More

If hired, the Colombians would join a swelling population of heavily armed private military forces working in Iraq who are seeking higher wages in dangerous jobs and what some critics say is a troubling result of efforts by the U.S. to "outsource" its operations in Iraq and other countries. Read More

Why are commandos leaving the military? Many officials say the cause is the hiring of skilled operators by private security firms that are protecting contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More

The Labour Ministry's overseas employment officer Ismael Kargbo declined to reveal the name of the company, but said the government had contracted a wage of roughly $100 per month for each of the workers, plus perks such as free international telephone calls. Read More