At least somebody's benefitting from the Iraqi redevelopment money

Besides Halliburton and Bechtel, I mean. McClatchy reports in Iraqi insurgents taking cut of U.S. rebuilding money by Hannah Allam 08/27/07:

Iraq's deadly insurgent groups have financed their war against U.S. troops in part with hundreds of thousands of dollars in U.S. rebuilding funds that they've extorted from Iraqi contractors in Anbar province.

The payments, in return for the insurgents' allowing supplies to move and construction work to begin, have taken place since the earliest projects in 2003, Iraqi contractors, politicians and interpreters involved with reconstruction efforts said.

A fresh round of rebuilding spurred by the U.S. military's recent alliance with some Anbar tribes - 200 new projects are scheduled - provides another opportunity for militant groups such as al Qaeda in Iraq to siphon off more U.S. money, contractors and politicians warn.

"Now we're back to the same old story in Anbar. The Americans are handing out contracts and jobs to terrorists, bandits and gangsters," said Sheik Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman, the deputy leader of the Dulaim, the largest and most powerful tribe in Anbar. He was involved in several U.S. rebuilding contracts in the early days of the war, but is now a harsh critic of the U.S. presence.

Who knows how much of this is incompetence and how much may be part of some complicated web of alliances? Back the Shi'a against the Sunnis, back the Sunnis against Al Qa'ida in Iraq (AQI), back the pro-Iranian Shi'a against the nationalist Shi'a, back the Sunnis (and AQI?) against Iran ... if it would change anything, I would hope somebody at least has a clear strategy on all this. But we know Dick Cheney's in charge, so why bother hoping for the impossible?

Tags: iraq war