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$1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry

By Last Night in Little Rock, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Mon Sep 19, 2005 at 08:27:15 AM EST
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by Last Night in Little Rock

In what was described by Iraqi officials as the largest theft in history, the UK Independent reports that $1B has disappeared from the Iraq Defense Ministry, compromising Iraq's ability to defend itself against insurgents.

One billion dollars has been plundered from Iraq's defence ministry in one of the largest thefts in history, The Independent can reveal, leaving the country's army to fight a savage insurgency with museum-piece weapons.

The money, intended to train and equip an Iraqi army capable of bringing security to a country shattered by the US-led invasion and prolonged rebellion, was instead siphoned abroad in cash and has disappeared.

"It is possibly one of the largest thefts in history," Ali Allawi, Iraq's Finance Minister, told The Independent.

"Huge amounts of money have disappeared. In return we got nothing but scraps of metal." The carefully planned theft has so weakened the army that it cannot hold Baghdad against insurgent attack without American military support, Iraqi officials say, making it difficult for the US to withdraw its 135,000- strong army from Iraq, as Washington says it wishes to do.

That's the difference between Iraq thefts and U.S. war profiteering. We know that Halliburton got billions through no bid contracts. The difference between "thief" and "profiteer" is owning a President.

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    $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry | 12 comments (12 topical)
    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    errrr... like the difference between "looting" stuff and "finding" it is the difference being black or white? It is a small world.

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    Uh... OOPS? Deafening silence from wingnuts in 3... 2... 1... (Of course, I already know the wingnut response: the money disappeared because the MSM (cue Darth Vader music) reported its disappearance! If we all clapped louder, the Iraqi army would have guns! C'mon, everybody! USA! USA! USA!)

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#3)
    by kdog on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    Billion...with a B? Sweet Jesus, somebody made a nice score at our expense. At my job, if $100 worth of material went missing on my watch, I'd get billed for it. Is no one responsible?

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#4)
    by Edger on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    ..making it difficult for the US to withdraw its 135,000- strong army from Iraq, as Washington says it wishes to do
    How co-incidental... and convenient? Hmmm?

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#5)
    by Al on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    Actually, the nine billion dollars that went missing during Bremer's administration of occupied Iraq are an even bigger theft. Speaking later at Clark University, the Worcester Indymedia reported
    When asked what he thought of reports of $9 billion missing from the funds to rebuild Iraq he said "I suggest you not worry, as that $9 billion was Iraqi money, not US money."
    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#6)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:01 PM EST
    Wonder why no American Papers are picking up the story. From the Independent's Patrick Cockburn
    Mr Shalaan says that Paul Bremer, then US viceroy in Iraq, signed off the appointment of Ziyad Cattan as the defence ministry's procurement chief. Mr Bremer says he has never heard of Mr Cattan.
    Hannah Allam of Knight Ridder had the story Aug 11.
    Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, who oversees the U.S. military's training of Iraqi troops, conducts weekly briefings with the defense minister. Other Iraqi defense officials seldom are spotted without American civilian advisers nearby. The close relationship has raised questions as to how $500 million or more could vanish without U.S. intervention to stop the suspicious contracts that flowed for at least eight months.
    Now Patrick Cockburn of the Indepedent has the story today of between one and two billion dollars embezzled. Why isn't this story front page news here? Juan Cole has more on the story, including the alleged perps relation to the CIA:
    Americans should be outraged at this news, which has now been reported twice by fine journalists in Iraq, but which has not become an issue in American politics.... The scale of it matches Saddam's kickbacks in the oil for food scandal, but the US journalists who were so outraged at the former don't seem to have the time of day for the embezzlement story.
    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#7)
    by Che's Lounge on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:02 PM EST
    Mission accomplished.

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#8)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:03 PM EST
    Well, someone has to pay for all that oil we're not getting.

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:03 PM EST
    Custer Battles was caught smuggling duffles full of old Iraqi dinars at Beirut International airport. However, I haven't seen any indication that this attempted currency-smuggling was ever reported in the US Muffled Press. It's only a rape if the woman screams.

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#10)
    by Quaker in a Basement on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:04 PM EST
    Wasn't somebody hollering a while back about Sandy Berger and how he "endangered security" by stuffing a copy of a document in his socks? Well, isn't it a lot worse when somebody stuffs a billion dollars in his socks and keeps the Iraqi security forces from gettting the weapons they need to take over for American troops?

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:08 PM EST
    Et al... Anything posted by a liberal left web site has got to be true! And of course...anything posted by a conservative site is surely false... Any questions?

    Re: $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry (none / 0) (#13)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:04:08 PM EST
    bb-honey, (or would you rather be called troll), Ostriches have not been known to be so bright, poof, gone like magic, good trick bb brain. The only true facts are from Karl Rove and Rush Limbaugh's spin tank. What is 12 billion dollars anyway, just some BS anti-war prattle?

    $1B Stolen From Iraq Defense Ministry | 12 comments (12 topical)