Contrack International Inc. of Arlington, Va has pulled its contract to reconstruct Iraq’s transportation systems, saying it is too dangerous to stay in the country.
Contrack International Inc. was working a $325 million contract to rebuild Iraq’s roads, bridges and railways. “Contrack withdrew from that contract last month after a surge in attacks on reconstruction efforts”, Eric Schnaible, Lt. Col. of the Pentagon’s Project and Contract Office in Baghdad, said. He said that it is hard to reconstruct in a place where people are shooting at you or intimidating your work force.
“The PCO has taken over management of about 18 subcontractors working on transportation projects. Contrack's pullout was a mutually agreed-to separation'and does not signal a larger movement by U.S.-based companies to abandon Iraq”, Schnaible said.
Iraq militants often attacked American construction companies and their workers. Deadly attacks near Mosul have killed for Americans working for the largest contractor in Iraq, Halliburton.
Among $18.4 billion approved by Congress for Iraq reconstruction more than a year ago, only $2 billion has been spent due to the bad security conditions.
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