WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Security contractors in Iraq use some over-the-top tactics and overreact at times , a top U.S. general in Iraq said Friday . Members of a private security company prepare the way for a U.S. convoy in Baghdad , Iraq . Many in Iraq have witnessed security contractors operating in a questionable fashion , said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Joseph Anderson , chief of staff for the Multi-National Corps in Iraq . `` I can certainly say I 've seen them do some tactics that I thought were over the top . But that 's something we 've got to keep working out , '' Anderson said in a briefing to Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Iraq . His comments soon after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he wants closer oversight of Pentagon contractors in Iraq . Gates has dispatched a team there to review accountability and oversight . Anderson did not offer specific examples of incidents he had seen . He agreed security contractors in Iraq have taken a lot of criticism , but he said they are in a tough position . `` They obviously have a tough job to do in a tough environment . I do n't know if they 're overly aggressive . I think the question becomes what rules do they follow with respect to what the rules of engagement are , '' he said . The actions of private security contractors have come under scrutiny since a Baghdad shooting incident earlier this month . Iraqi authorities say Blackwater guards fired indiscriminately , killing as many as 20 civilians ; Blackwater says its employees responded properly to an insurgent attack on a convoy . Under an order laid down by the U.S.-led occupation government in 2004 , security contractors are not subject to Iraqi law for actions taken within their contracts , a condition that irritates Iraqi officials . About 137,000 civilians are working for the U.S. military in Iraq , Gates said Wednesday . That number includes at least 7,300 of the estimated 25,000 private security contractors working in Iraq , he said . After the Blackwater shootings , Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England issued a memo to commanders in Iraq outlining their responsibility for holding contractors accountable , Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said . Anderson said the assessment team sent by Gates is getting a feel for how the military employs contractors , to what scale , what functions they 're providing and what differentiates between Department of Defense and Department of State contractors in the security role . The State Department also is investigating the role of private security contractors . Ambassador Patrick Kennedy , a management and policy expert , will lead the effort , along with a high-level panel of outside experts , including retired Gen. George Joulwan , former commander of NATO forces in Europe ; Stapleton Roy , former U.S. ambassador to China ; and Eric Boswell , a former assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security . Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wants an interim report by next Friday . E-mail to a friend