Not Fighting ISIS: How Iraq's 50,000 'Ghost Soldiers' Run Their Scam -- NBC
As a paid member of the Iraqi army, Mazin should be helping his country fight ISIS. Instead, the father-of-three is battling traffic as a taxi driver in Baghdad.
Mazin is one of the 50,000 "ghost soldiers" who pay a portion of their monthly military salary to superior officers in exchange for not having to turn up for duty. Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi has vowed to put an end to the scam — which has weakened his U.S.-trained army in the face of an ISIS insurgency.
"The reason behind doing this is that I have a family I need to take care of and two kids in school," Mazin, 38, told NBC News. "Besides, I have to pay for rent and other expenses. I found that this is the only way to earn more money, besides securing my future when I retire."
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My Comment: The culture of corruption has always been endemic in Iraq .... I wish them luck in trying to stamp it out.
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