Report: 50,000 Iraqi Soldiers Don’t Exist?
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iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Al Jazeera reports that the Iraqi government has been paying for four divisions of so-called “ghost” soldiers.
In essence, that’s 50,000 troops who don’t exist.
So where has all the money gone? Usually to officers pocketing the money.
As the government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi explains, an officer might have a guard detail of five soldiers but winds up sending three of them home while keeping the extra cash.
On a larger level, a brigade commander with 30-40 “ghost” soldiers get his cut but also has to bribe superiors to keep the scam going.
Either way, the prime minister says he plans on cleaning up graft and corruption that has permeated the military.
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