Construction Woes Threaten Workers at Iraq Embassy

Foul-ups and delays in the construction of the US embassy in Baghdad are not only an ongoing embarrassment—now they have workers there worried about their own safety. The Journal intercepted a stern cable the embassy sent to the State Department a month ago highlighting several serious hazards in the new security guard facility.

Problems include malfunctioning appliances that have given staffers electrical shocks, faulty wiring, fuel leaks, and noxious fumes in guards' sleeping trailers. The Justice Department is already investigating the principal contractor on the project for allegedly kidnapping workers—now those same workers are boxed in "deplorable living conditions" until the base opens next month. (More Baghdad stories.)