Pope Says Islamist Violence in Syria, Iraq is a #39;grave Sin Against God #39;
Pope Francis said Islamic militants were carrying out a "profoundly grave sin against God" in Syria and Iraq, calling on Sunday for inter-religious dialogue and action against poverty to help...
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Pope Says Islamist Violence in Syria, Iraq is a 'grave Sin Against God' - Video
A preliminary investigation into so-called "ghost soldiers" - whose salaries are being drawn but are not in military service - revealed the tens of thousands of false names on Ministry of Defense lists, Abadi told parliament on Sunday. Follow-up investigations are expected to uncover "more and more" names, he added.
Abadi, who took power in September, is under pressure to stamp out graft that flourished in the armed forces under his predecessor Nouri al-Maliki. Widespread corruption has been blamed for contributing to the collapse of four of the army's 14 divisions in June in the face of an offensive by Islamic State extremists.
The United States is encouraging Abadi to create a leaner, more efficient military as the Pentagon requests $1.2 billion to train and equip the Iraqi army next year. The U.S. spent more than $20 billion on the force from the 2003 invasion until troops withdrew at the end of 2011.
"It could be more than triple this number," said Hamid al-Mutlaq, a member of the parliamentary defense and security committee, pointing out that more thorough on-the-ground investigations are planned. "The people who are responsible for this should be punished. Iraq's safe has been emptied."
The corrupt practice is often perpetrated by officers who pretend to have more soldiers on their books in order to pocket their salaries, experts say.
Abadi's announcement was met with applause in parliament. He said that the perpetrators would be tracked down eventually, but his priority is to end the practice as soon as possible.
"We are losing money all the time," he said. Since taking power Abadi has also retired dozens of officers who served under Maliki, who has been widely accused of promoting based on loyalty rather than merit.
"The problems are wide and it's an extremely difficult task which is going to involve some strong will," said Iraqi security analyst Saeed al-Jayashi. "Training is weak and unprofessional."
The United States is focusing its efforts on three divisions, in order to begin effective counteroffensive operations against Islamic State, which controls around a third of the country's territory.
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Iraq has been paying 'ghost soldiers,' prime minister says
An Iranian national shops at a popular market in the holy Iraqi Shiite city of Najaf. Recently, the city where millions of international pilgrims visit every year has been spared the worst of Iraq's violence. Haidar Hamdani /AFP/Getty Images hide caption
An Iranian national shops at a popular market in the holy Iraqi Shiite city of Najaf. Recently, the city where millions of international pilgrims visit every year has been spared the worst of Iraq's violence.
The holy Iraqi city of Najaf has a brand-new and appropriately holy shopping center: the Najaf City Mall.
Under banners with Muslim prayers, children rampage through an adventure playground, while conservative women in long black robes browse for cute outfits to wear when they're home with family.
Think of Iraq and maybe you picture a desert battlefield: the self-styled Islamic State slugging it out with the Iraqi army while American warplanes drop bombs from the sky. But life there's not like that for everyone, not all the time. In fact, because of famous holy shrines in Iraq, millions of international pilgrims actually visit every year.
Mohammed Baderi is one of four main investors in the mall. A chatty man with calluses on his forehead from frequent praying, he sits on a neon plastic chair surrounded by families having dinner, and tells me why he came back from 24 years in the U.S. to open a mall.
"You know this is our mother homeland," he says "This city [deserves] this kind of business."
Najaf, about a three-hour drive south of Baghdad, is beloved as one of Shiite Islam's holiest places, the burial place of the revered Imam Ali. But Baderi felt Najafis needed opportunities as well as blessings.
"So first of all we need to look for the new jobs, to improve their income," he says. It wasn't easy to make it happen; access to credit in Iraq is all but impossible, for example, and they still have two empty floors to fill with outlets.
But at the moment, he reckons the mall employs 300 or 400 people, and he has grand visions for the future. He sees Najaf as a kind of Shiite Vatican City, drawing visitors and money from all over. Recently, the city has been spared the worst of Iraq's violence, and with a little ingenuity and resilience, there's business to be done.
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With Shopping, Holy Sites, Najaf Offers Respite From Iraq's Violence
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