Two significant programs in Iraq have not met expectations, says a U.S. expert. One, Task Force Shield, is a security program to protect the oil and electricity infrastructure. The other is meant to construct primary health care centers throughout Iraq.
May 1 marks the third anniversary of President Bush's declaration of the end of major combat in Iraq. Three years after a speech for which Bush landed on an aircraft carrier, reconstruction of Iraq shows mixed results, as reflected in a quarterly report published for Congress.
In his May 1 address on the aircraft carrier, the president acknowleged that the U.S. had "difficult work to do in Iraq." The latest report from the Special Inspector General in charge of monitoring the reconstruction in Iraq underscores just how difficult that work is.
The report finds that the $22 billion reconstruction effort has been "punctuated by shortfalls and deficiencies." Basic services such as water, sewage and electricity and oil output are still below prewar levels.
Michele Norris talks with Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
