MOSUL (Iraq) - DOZENS of US troops seen in Mosul after June 30 will not be military advisers or trainers but instead work to ensure that millions of American tax dollars are not frittered away.

Combat operations against the Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents that turned Mosul into a hotbed of violence are all but finished for the US army. Its focus is now shifting to the task of improving key services for the local population.

Captain Joe Himpelmann has spent much of the first six months of his one-year posting in Mosul employing Iraqis to lift rubbish off the streets, fix sewers and clear ground for new football pitches.

Captain Himpelmann, from the 3rd Brigade 1st Cavalry Division, commands about 100 troops, but also has 800 Iraqi employees on his books, paid with US government cash allocated as part of the army's 'non-lethal efforts to restore a sense of normalcy' in Mosul.

The aim is to target the young and unemployed Iraqi men seen most likely to be manipulated by insurgents into committing violence, and give them jobs.

Captain John Bradley, also from the 3rd Brigade 1st Cavalry and his fellow officers are keenly aware though that much aid money has been wasted in Iraq, and have until now patrolled the streets to make sure workers turn up and to confirm that contracted jobs have been done.

The US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) in January reported that corruption continues to plague the conflict-torn nation, and that billions of dollars sent to Baghdad ministries had gone to 'ghost employees'.

A key check against financial abuse is that the army only pays out when a contract is completed, which is often months

The June 30 withdrawal deadline prompted protracted negotiations between the US military and Iraq about the former's future role in Mosul, seen alongside Baghdad as the country's most violent city.

American soldiers will be allowed within the city limits, however, with senior officers noting that US vehicles will carry special identification markings from July 1. -- AFP