Pentagon probes missing weapons, contract fraud
US: The Pentagon's independent watchdog has launched a probe
into the military's inability to account for weapons in Iraq after
reports that Kurdish militants were using U.S. arms to attack Turkey,
the Defense Department said on Wednesday.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the department's inspector
general will go to Iraq next week with an 18-member assessment team to
investigate the problem.
"Since January, the inspector general's office has been thoroughly
investigating reports of unaccounted-for weapons as well as allegations
of arms ending up in the wrong hands," Morrell said.
"Secretary Gates, who since May has twice received lengthy briefings
on the progress of the probe, is deeply troubled by the reports and the
allegations."
Turkey, an important ally for Washington in the Muslim world, has
repeatedly said the U.S. government has not done enough to clamp down on
Kurdish militants based in northern Iraq. In July, Turkey's ambassador
said Kurdish leaders were diverting weapons meant for local Iraqi
security forces to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants.
Morrell said he did not know if evidence existed to show U.S. weapons
were being used by insurgents in Iraq.
"It is unclear, and that's why there's an investigation taking
place."
Separately, the Army has launched two investigations into possible
fraud involving thousands of contracts for services in Iraq and Kuwait
after 20 civilian and military Army employees were indicted on charges
that included bribery.
The scope of the fraud remains unknown, but Army Secretary Pete Geren
called the problem significant.
More than 18,000 contracts valued at about $3 billion have been
awarded by the Army to support the Iraq war since 2003. As of Aug. 28,
there were 76 ongoing criminal investigations involving possible
contract fraud, the Army said.
A U.S. Army major, his wife and sister were indicted this month in a
suspected scheme to accept $9.6 million in exchange for contracts for
bottled water and other goods and services for troops in Kuwait and
Iraq.
An Army captain also has been charged with accepting a $50,000 bribe
to steer military contracts in Iraq, according to prosecutors.
"The reports suggest that we've got serious issues in this area,
particularly coming out of the Kuwait contracting community," Geren told
reporters. "I don't know how to describe the scale, but it's
significant."
The first Army investigation will examine the overall contracting
organisation, which Army officials say lacks the resources needed to
handle the sharp rise in contracts following the start of the Iraq war.
A commission appointed to investigate the operation will deliver a
report in 45 days.
The Army also charged a new task force with examining all 18,000
contracts awarded by its contracting office in Kuwait. Most of those
covered support services at Army facilities in Kuwait, like laundry and
dining services.
Washington, Thursday, Reuters |