http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/06/international/middleeast/06MILI.html?hpAmerican officials said today that about 50 munitions sites in Iraq containing explosives similar to those used in the recent major bombings had only light security and were poorly guarded.
An official from the United States Central Command, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged today that the American-led military operation in Iraq did not have enough troops to heavily guard all 2,700 Iraqi munitions sites that have been identified.
Every ammunition dump has some level of security, the Central Command official said. But he added that increasing demands on American troops have meant that the military has had to reserve the heaviest security for munitions sites containing weapons like rocket-propelled grenades that could be used most readily against allied forces; that left other sites, with larger weapons like bombs and missiles, with less security or Iraqi guards who may be prone to bribes.
A Pentagon spokesman, Bryan G. Whitman, said tonight, "All known Iraqi munitions sites are being secured by coalition forces." But Mr. Whitman said he could not address questions of security at each munition site, saying that would be a matter for the local ground commander.
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