A U.S. government audit indicates Washington has wasted more than $200 million on a program to train Iraqi police, which Baghdad said was "useless."
The Police Development Program was envisioned as a five-year, multibillion-dollar effort to train security forces after the U.S. military left last December.
A report released on July 30 by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said training and housing facilities were built in Baghdad for an estimated $108 million, while another $98 million was used to construct a training base at the Basra consulate.
But both facilities were later closed without being used.
The report said that Iraq's deputy interior minister Adnan al-Assadi had called the program "useless."
SIGIR concluded that the program was "a de facto waste."
The Police Development Program was envisioned as a five-year, multibillion-dollar effort to train security forces after the U.S. military left last December.
A report released on July 30 by the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) said training and housing facilities were built in Baghdad for an estimated $108 million, while another $98 million was used to construct a training base at the Basra consulate.
But both facilities were later closed without being used.
The report said that Iraq's deputy interior minister Adnan al-Assadi had called the program "useless."
SIGIR concluded that the program was "a de facto waste."
