| 2007: US to reoperate 200 abandoned facilities in Iraq |
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7/11/2007 MENAFN) The American Defense Department has initiated a campaign to reoperate about 200 factories and facilities in Iraq, which were owned by the former regime and abandoned after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the Associated Press reported. A pentagon official said that one factory was reopened recently, and nine more are to open by the end of this month, providing jobs for 11,000 Iraqis. He added that this move aims to provide long-term employment to Iraqis, unlike previous ones that came with short-term jobs along with individual rebuilding projects. Deputy Undersecretary of Defense, who is responsible for business modernization efforts, said in a recent interview that providing jobs to unemployed Iraqis could lower the level of unrest among them. He pointed out that the American military will be among the major customers for some of the restarted facilities. According to the U.N. and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, unemployment rate is between 20 and 40 percent with inflation above 50 percent. They also added that more than 1.5 million Iraqis, mostly professionals, have left the war-torn country. It is worth mentioning that the average Iraqi worker supports 13 people, compared to the average American worker who supports 4. US to reoperate 200 abandoned facilities in Iraq - Source |