3 of 10 Reconstruction Workers Leave Iraq

WASHINGTON - Roughly three out of 10 Americans and other non-Iraqis involved in U.S.-financed reconstruction projects in Iraq (news - web sites) have left the country since early April because of a lack of security, the Bush administration official overseeing the projects said in an interview.


That percentage is about three times higher than previous estimates provided by the government, which closely guards figures and facts about the reconstruction.


"We've had to reduce the number of expatriate technical workers working for us (in Iraq) by about 30 percent, which means 70 percent of the people are still there doing their jobs," Andrew Natsios, administrator of the Agency for International Development, told The Associated Press Thursday.


A USAID spokeswoman later said Natsios' estimate sounded high, but she said she did not have a more accurate figure. The spokeswoman did not return repeated telephone calls on Friday seeking clarification.

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