Investigation reveals of 50,000 ‘ghost soldiers’ in Iraqi armyDecember 1, 2014 - 09:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - An investigation has revealed the existence of 50,000 ‘ghost soldiers’ in the Iraqi army, the country’s Prime Minister has said, according to The Independent. Ghost employees are a well-known form of corruption in Iraq but Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has for the first time put a firm figure on the extent to which it pervades the military. Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s newly installed Prime Minister, revealed the figure after an official head-count of the army was carried out during the payment process. The total is equivalent to four divisions. His spokesman Rafid Jaboori said: "The prime minister revealed the existence of 50,000 fictitious names. Over the past few weeks, the PM has been cracking down to expose the ghost soldiers and get to the root of the problem.” The announcement is an indication that he intends further action against state corruption in the military and beyond. Earlier this month he sacked 36 army commanders in a move intended to improve the efficiency of the military and to reduce graft, The Independent says. Jaboori added: “Haidar al-Abadi is setting integrity, efficiency and courage as the criteria to appoint a new military leadership. This weeding out process will extend beyond the military to all state institutions.” Fictitious soldiers, known as 'fadhaiyin', are created to provide extra income for officers and the more senior the rank the more ‘ghost’ incomes there are. "There are two kinds of fadhaiyin," an officer in the security forces told AFP. "The first kind: each officer is allowed, for example, five guards. He'll keep two, send three home and pocket their salary or an agreed percentage. "Then the second and bigger group is at the brigade level. A brigade commander usually has 30, 40 or more soldiers who stay at home or don't exist. The problem is that he too, to keep his job as a brigade commander, has to bribe his own hierarchical superiors with huge amounts of money." Mohammed Othman al-Khalidi, a former member of the Iraqi Parliament, estimated recently that up to 30 per cent of the Army could be fictional, helping to explain the ease with which they were routed by Isis militants advancing on Mosul in July. Photo: Almanar Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | About 173 million drams and more than 30 beneficiary funds. "The Power of One Dram" is 4 years old In June 2020, the exclusive joint corporate social responsibility initiative of Idram and IDBank "The Power of One Dram" was launched. CSTO budget “to be adjusted due to Yerevan’s non-payment of contributions” The CSTO budget for the current year requires adjustments due to the refusal of Yerevan to pay their share of contributions. Russia sends note of protest to Armenia over envoy’s trip to Ukraine’s Bucha Russia has sent a note of protest to Armenia over the visit of Vladimir Karapetyan and Tigran Ter-Margaryan to Bucha. Armenia: Protesters march to parliament, some spend the night on street The protesters did not disperse despite heavy rain that began at around 2 a.m. local time. |