Inexperience slows Iraq rebuilding
U.S. military lacks skill for task, some officials say

BANI SAD, Iraq, June 25 — Two months after the fall of Baghdad, the critical task of postwar rebuilding and governance of most Iraqi cities remains in the hands of U.S. military personnel, almost all of whom lack expertise in government administration and familiarity with the Arab world.

SOME CURRENT and former U.S. officials involved in the reconstruction effort contend that the failure to more quickly involve civilian reconstruction specialists in the postwar occupation has delayed resumption of local government operations and led to resentment among the nearly 20 million Iraqis who live outside the capital.