The United States government cannot account for 190 000 weapons issued to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to an investigation carried out by the Government Accountability (GAO) Office.
According to the July 31 report, the military “cannot fully account for about 110 000 AK-47 assault rifles, 80 000 pistols, 135 000 items of body armour and 115 000 helmets reported as issued to Iraqi forces.”
The weapons disappeared from records between June 2004 and September 2005 as the military struggled to rebuild the disbanded Iraqi forces from scratch amid increasing attacks from Sunni insurgents and Shi’ite militias.
Since 2004 the military “has not consistently collected supporting records confirming the dates the equipment was received, the quantities of equipment delivered or the Iraqi units receiving the items”, the report said.
“Since 2006 the command has placed greater emphasis on collecting the supporting documents. However, GAO’s review of the January 2007 property books found continuing problems with missing and incomplete records.”
US commanders often accuse foreign powers such as Iran of supplying arms to illegal militias fighting in Iraq, but the report shows they cannot fully account for the hundreds thousands of weapons they brought in themselves.
Last month, Turkey raised concerns over reports that separatist Kurdish guerrillas launching cross-border raids from northern Iraq had received US-supplied guns supposedly destined for Iraqi security forces.
Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, spokesperson for the US-led military in Iraq, said the Americans were working hard with their Iraqi partners to improve accountability and increase the security of weapons.
“We are working very hard with the government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces at every level to increase the accountability and to increase the security of the weapons that are provided to the Iraqi forces,” he said.
The United States has spent $19,2-billion on Iraq’s security forces since the 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein, with $2,8-billion devoted to equipping them.
The report comes as US President George Bush is under intense pressure from a Democrat-led Congress and critics within his own Republican party to show progress on Iraq, with many in both parties calling for withdrawal. — AFP