WASHINGTON (AFP) - The Pentagon denied that it was holding off requests for additional funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan until January because of the November presidential elections.
"We don't think in terms of politics. We think in terms of how we manage the funds," Pentagon comptroller Dov Zakheim told a press conference.
He said the Pentagon was waiting until next year to request additional funding because it was too difficult to estimate what operations will cost after the return of sovereignty to Iraqis on June 30.
"I am more comfortable waiting and looking back," he said.
The chiefs of the army, air force and marine corps, however, voiced concerns in congressional testimony Tuesday over how they were going to finance operations in Iraq and Afghanistan after September.
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