Gary J Carter
2008-08-07 20:29:19 UTC
War Profiteer KBR Responsible for Killing at Least 16 Troops
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise at 9:00 AM on July 31, 2008.
The firm was recently given another fat contract as a reward for its
excellent performance.
A congressional report released yesterday blames faulty electrical
work by contractor KBR for the deaths of at least 16 American troops
in Iraq:
The denials leave an accountability problem that may ultimately lead
to the Pentagon officials in charge of overseeing KBR.
"Who is to blame for this?" Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), the ranking
Republican on the committee, asked Bruni. "Was it the army? Was it the
soldier responsible for taking the shower?"
"The responsibility lies with the army," Bruni said after initially
dodging the question.
The army, meanwhile, remains uncertain how many soldiers have actually
been electrocuted.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the multinational force in Iraq,
said last month that 13 soldiers had been electrocuted. Last week the
Pentagon said the number was 16. Now the oversight committee says it
has documents indicating 19 deaths.
At the hearing, Jeffrey Parsons, executive director of the Army
Contracting Command, said that the Pentagon is still in the process of
investigating the electrocutions. Parsons also noted that Pentagon
auditors lack "sufficient skill sets or expertise to perform adequate
oversight of electrical work being performed by KBR." [Washington
Independent]
KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton until last year, recently won yet
another contract for Iraq reconstruction.
Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.
Posted by Lindsay Beyerstein, Majikthise at 9:00 AM on July 31, 2008.
The firm was recently given another fat contract as a reward for its
excellent performance.
A congressional report released yesterday blames faulty electrical
work by contractor KBR for the deaths of at least 16 American troops
in Iraq:
The denials leave an accountability problem that may ultimately lead
to the Pentagon officials in charge of overseeing KBR.
"Who is to blame for this?" Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), the ranking
Republican on the committee, asked Bruni. "Was it the army? Was it the
soldier responsible for taking the shower?"
"The responsibility lies with the army," Bruni said after initially
dodging the question.
The army, meanwhile, remains uncertain how many soldiers have actually
been electrocuted.
Gen. David Petraeus, commander of the multinational force in Iraq,
said last month that 13 soldiers had been electrocuted. Last week the
Pentagon said the number was 16. Now the oversight committee says it
has documents indicating 19 deaths.
At the hearing, Jeffrey Parsons, executive director of the Army
Contracting Command, said that the Pentagon is still in the process of
investigating the electrocutions. Parsons also noted that Pentagon
auditors lack "sufficient skill sets or expertise to perform adequate
oversight of electrical work being performed by KBR." [Washington
Independent]
KBR, a subsidiary of Halliburton until last year, recently won yet
another contract for Iraq reconstruction.
Lindsay Beyerstein a New York writer blogging at Majikthise.