In Iraq, a Private Realm Of Intelligence-Gathering

Firm Extends U.S. Government's Reach

By Steve Fainaru and Alec Klein

Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, July 1, 2007; Page A01

BAGHDAD -- On the first floor of a tan building inside Baghdad's Green Zone, the full scope of Iraq's daily carnage is condensed into a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation.

Displayed on a 15-foot-wide screen, the report is the most current intelligence on significant enemy activity. Two men in khakis and tan polo shirts narrate from the back of the room. One morning recently, their report covered 168 incidents: rocket attacks in Tikrit, a cow-detonated bomb in Habbaniyah, seven bodies discovered floating in the Diyala River.