Iraqi officials said they have identified and stopped tens of millions of dollars in salary payments to a number of "ghost soldiers" who didn't actually exist, reported The Associated Press.
Two senior Iraqi officials told AP that the military had prevented improper spending of $47 million in November alone.
The move is part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's vow to fight military corruption and reestablish itself in the fight against the Islamic State group. The news follows al-Abadi's November announcement that he would cut at least 50,000 ghost soldiers that existed in four different divisions of the military from payroll.
Ghost soldiers are soldiers who are dead, missing or did not exist in the first place, and the salaries sent to those soldiers are usually pocketed by senior commanders.
Al-Abadi also recently fired a number of senior officials working in the military and interior ministry who were appointees of his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki. It's unclear whether those fired were suspected to be involved in wrongfully collecting salaries, but al-Abadi said he would continue to pursue the matter "even if it costs me my life," reported AP.
According to the Iraqi officials, who spoke to the AP under the condition of anonymity, the money is the first of several lump amounts to be regained by Iraq's Defense Ministry.
Entry-level Iraqi soldiers receive about $750 per month, and if all 50,000 ghost soldiers were still on the payroll, Iraq would be dishing out at least $450 million in bogus salaries per year.
But once "ghost policemen" in the Interior Ministry are considered, the numbers will be much higher, Iraqi lawmaker Liqaa Wardi told the AP.
"I think that the efforts exerted by the current government will face resistance by some corrupt army and security officers who have made gains and fortunes due to the corruption system and the ghost soldiers," he added.
The U.S. has spent nearly $26 billion since 2003 on training Iraqi military forces and police and rebuilding the justice system. The newest war in Iraq against the Islamic State will cost an estimated $15 to $20 billion, according to Mother Jones.
Following November's initial revelation of the 50,000 ghost soldiers, one experienced Iraqi officer told AFP, "There are two kinds of 'fadhaiyin,'" which literally translates to "space men."
"The first kind: Each officer is allowed, for example, five guards. He'll keep two, send three home and pocket their salary or an agreed percentage. Then, the second and bigger group is at the brigade level. A brigade commander usually has 30, 40 or more soldiers who stay at home and don't exist," the officer said.
