troops currently on the ground in those countries.

The United States has fewer than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan and some 46,000 forces in Iraq.

The tally of private sector contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan can be surprisingly difficult to obtain since many U.S. contractors are outsourced to subcontractors who depend on temporary labor, the source said.

The report blames a lack of oversight by federal agencies for misuse of funds and warns of further waste when the programs are transferred to Iraqi or Afghan control as the United States withdraws its troops.

The U.S. military is on course to withdraw all of its troops from Iraq by the end of the year and started drawing down its force in Afghanistan this month.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/23/usa-afghanistan-waste-idUSN1E76M03420110723