US Contractor Bills in Iraq to Hit $100B

Suit charges contractors supplied spoiled food, contaminated water

(NEWSER) - A lawsuit filed against Halliburton and KBR accuses the military contractors of exposing troops and civilian workers on a US base in Iraq to spoiled food, contaminated water, and toxic fumes from a burn pit, the Military Times reports. The lead plaintiff in the suit said he still has nightmares after seeing a wild dog roaming the base with a human arm in its mouth after KBR dumped medical waste in a trash fire instead of a medical incinerator. More»

$1.2B spent for private security firms; critics say Iraqis should be picking up slack instead

(NEWSER) - American troops are trickling home, but at a hefty cost: The US has spent more than $1.2 billion this year on private security contractors—mostly to protect diplomats, but also to secure infrastructure and supplies, USA Today reports. The State Department says now that focus has shifted to rebuilding, officials are venturing out of secure areas to do field work and require more protection. More»

Almost $8.2B in Iraq War funding evaded federal rules, reports the Pentagon

(NEWSER) - A Pentagon audit of $8.2 billion in taxpayer money spent in Iraq found that nearly all of the handouts skirted federal rules, and millions of dollars in contracts were awarded with little or no record of what they were for, reports the New York Times. Take the $320.8 million that was issued to 1,000 Iraqis for "Iraqi Salary Payment"—$320,800 a head—with no explanation of what they were compensated for. More»

Workers injured in war zones are the hidden cost of Iraq, Afghanistan wars

(NEWSER) - Thousands of Americans have come home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who are veterans in all but name, writes T. Christian Miller—and the benefits afforded veterans. The military's unprecedented reliance on civilian contractors has left thousands injured and disabled with no safety net or public gratitude. Whether they were motivated by money, patriotism, or both, they faced many of the same dangers as American troops, and suffered many of the same injuries. More»

(NEWSER) - Two former Blackwater employees accused company founder and CEO Erik Prince of murder in statements filed in federal court this week, the Nation reports. The former guards, including an ex-Marine, say Prince may have either killed or facilitated the killing of operatives probing the security contractor's Iraq operations. The investigators were working on behalf of the federal government, according to the workers. They also accuse Prince of smuggling illegal weapons into Iraq and condoning the killing of civilians. More»