Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction: Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress
Abstract
On July 23, attacks occurring in most of Iraq's major cities killed more than 100 people in what was reportedly the deadliest single day of violence in Iraq since 2010. These attacks came during a period marked by political uncertainty. This quarter, a loose coalition of Iraqi political leaders, led by Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, spearheaded efforts to remove Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki from office. Their efforts stalled when Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr backed away from supporting them at least for now. Projected to expand by more than 11% this year, Iraq's economy remains one of the fastest growing in the world. The Iraqi oil sector dominates national commerce, providing more than 90% of the roughly $100 billion national budget. Oil production averaged 2.93 million barrels per day (MBPD) in April and May, and exports averaged 2.45 MBPD over the entire quarter. Both were new post-2003 records. But oil exports began to decline in June, in part because of infrastructure problems, underscoring the need for the Government of Iraq (GOI) to move forward quickly with its planned upgrades if it hopes to maintain its robust expansion. The U.S. Mission in Iraq continues to right-size through downsizing. The Department of State (DoS) reported that 1,235 U.S. government civilian employees were working in Iraq as of June 30, a 10% decline from the previous quarter. The number of contractors also fell. According to Department of Defense (DoD) data, the number of employees working for U.S. government contractors or grantees in Iraq declined from 16,973 on April 1 to 12,477 on July 2, a 26% decrease.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 30, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA565066
Entities
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction