Members of Iraqi security forces and Shiite fighters eat on their vehicle on the outskirts of Baiji, north of Baghdad, Dec. 8, 2014. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad
Ghost Army: You, Too, Can Command An Iraqi Division For Only $2 Million -- Peter Van Buren, Reuters
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi recently revealed that there are 50,000 “ghost soldiers” who haunt the payrolls of the Iraqi Army. Many see the phenomenon as a factor in the army’s defeat at the hands of the Islamic State, and as an example of how Prime Minister Abadi is trying to initiate reform.
How corruption like this is handled will tell the tale of the army’s future, and of the U.S.’ investment.
The current Iraqi Army is a U.S. construct. The second official act of the U.S. occupation in Iraq was to disband Saddam-era forces and create a new Iraqi Army. This would ultimately cost U.S. taxpayers over $20 billion dollars.
What did they get for their money?
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My Comment: What bugs me about this story is that it was being done in the open .... and U.S. military/intelligence officials had to know what was going on, as well as their political bosses in Washington. But for reasons not explained .... choose to remain silent.
3 comments:
In general militaries fail in their mission for two basic reasons: They either cannot firht for lack of resources, training, etc, or will not for lack of ideology, tradition, etc. It can be a chicken or the egg question, but generally all successful militaries stem from ideology (a want to) that reflects the society it arises from. Iraq is somewhat (ahem) lacking in all of these and more. The finest training and equipping the world cannot change this.
In reviewing my above comment, it must be said that although militaries do firht on occasion they are asked to fight also.
if i could win the lottery lookout the warparty north america
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