Investigation reveals Iraqi army's payroll had 50,000 ghost troops

Investigation reveals Iraqi army&#039;s payroll had 50,000 ghost troops

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last updated 8 January 2015

An investigation about corruption in the Iraqi army has revealed that as many as 50,000 fake names were on the army's payroll.

The BBC reports that the so-called "ghost soldiers" either didn't exist or no longer reported for duty — but their salaries were still paid.

The office of Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi said in a statement that the payments to ghost soldiers have been stopped. The BBC adds that the salaries were likely "siphoned off by corrupt officers," adding that the Iraqi army's "rampant corruption" is one of the reasons it has "struggled to contain Islamic State militants."