Baghdad security so dire that U.S. inspectors review construction by satellite

A soldier inspects the aftermath of a Baghdad car bomb last Wednesday

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- After a series of critical reports, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction has reviewed a building project that worked: a courthouse in Baghdad.

However, the report highlights how dangerous Baghdad has become for Americans and any Iraqis seen to be cooperating with them -- the inspectors could not visit the site personally to review the construction.

"The assessment team did not visit the project site because officials at Gulf region division determined it was not safe for the team to travel to the site and because the presence of the assessment team increased the potential danger for the Iraqis working at the site," the report states.

In the report, Iraqi workers' faces are blotted out in pictures so they cannot be identified and targeted.

"Since the assessment team was not able to travel to the site, we reviewed commercially available satellite imagery of the courthouse site to independently verify the construction progress," the report states.

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