US can't account for 96% of Iraq reconstruction money

A US federal watchdog has criticized the US military for failing to account properly for billions of dollars it received to help rebuild Iraq. The Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction says the US Department of Defense is unable to account properly for 96% of the money. Out of just over $9 billion, $8.7 billion is unaccounted for, the inspector says. The US military said the funds were not necessarily missing, but that spending records might have been archived. In a response attached to the report, it said attempting to account for the money might require "significant archival retrieval efforts". Reconstruction money Much of the money came from the sale of Iraqi oil and gas.