By John Lee.
An investigation into corruption in the Iraqi army has revealed 50,000 false names on its payroll.
Known in the military as "ghost soldiers", they either did not exist or no longer reported for duty, but their salaries were still being paid, according to a report from BBC News.
It is thought that the salaries were siphoned off by corrupt officers; the Prime Minister's office said the payments have now been stopped.
Rampant corruption in the Iraqi army is seen as one of the reasons why Iraq has struggled to contain Islamic State militants.
(Source: BBC News)



#Iraq Business News: Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll http://t.co/AFv5fKLzI0
RT @IraqMonitor: #Iraq Business News: Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll http://t.co/AFv5fKLzI0
Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll: By John Lee. An investigation into corruption in the Iraqi army has... http://t.co/6dMZXnrofY
RT @IraqMonitor: #Iraq Business News: Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll http://t.co/AFv5fKLzI0
New Blog Post Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll - By John Lee. An investigation into corruption in the Ira... http://t.co/PloXBIoiKH
Army ‘had 50,000 Ghost Troops’ on Payroll: By John Lee. An investigation into corruption in the Iraqi army has... http://t.co/S9qv38Voj1
Iraqi Army not coping with ISIS because 50,000 of them on the payroll didn't exist? http://t.co/sNUqEG195C #iraq #corruption #fraud #news