New Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, shown here in August, says his country has been paying salaries to at least 50,000 soldiers who do not exist. He expects more “ghost soldiers” to be ...

Some 50,000 Iraqi “ghost soldiers” pay a portion of their monthly military salary to superior officers so they don’t have to turn up for duty — a practice that is considered to be one of ...

REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily [1/6]A Christian woman inspects a home in the town of Bartella east of Mosul, Iraq, after it was liberated from Islamic State militants November 23, 2016.

BAGHDAD — The Iraqi army has been paying salaries to at least 50,000 soldiers who don’t exist, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Sunday, an indication of the level of ...