[Dean's World] Dave Price: Glimmers of Accountability in Culture of Corruption

[notify at powerblogs.com]

Posted by Dave Price:
Glimmers of Accountability in Culture of Corruption
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1169586329.shtml


   No, it isnât [1]Glennâs eminently praiseworthy Porkbusters initiative,
   or the [2]belatedly respectable Senate ethics bill.
   No, [3]this is a much stickier problem â but citizen journalism is
   starting to have an impact here as well:

     But it's hard to see how effective a senior officer would have to
     be to justify such a level of embezzlement. Perhaps half of the
     Iraqi Army in Fallujah, primarily the "Jundi" soldiers at the
     bottom of the pay scale, haven't been paid in months. As a result,
     160 soldiers in the Iraqi Third Battalion recently walked off the
     job because of missed salaries. The supposed number of soldiers in
     the battalion was about 700, yet the loss of 160 reduced the unit's
     real strength by half. Fuel and equipment shortages greatly
     influenced by corruption also hamper operations.
     Asked who is responsible for stopping such corruption, U.S.
     officials here point to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense. Because U.S.
     control of the Iraqi government bureaucracy has been phased out to
     let locals take the lead, American military personnel working with
     the Iraqi military have little ability to resolve such pay issues.
     UPDATE: Iraqi First Division Maj. Gen General Tariq Abdul Wahab
     Jasim today stated that he has "relieved" Khalid.

   Bill Ardolino has more, and also [4]some interesting photo detail on
   new Fallujan recruits.

References

   1. http://www.porkbusters.org/
   2. http://instapundit.com/archives2/2007/01/post_1801.php
   3. http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/002932.php
   4. http://www.indcjournal.com/archives/002933.php