Iraqi economy and the influence of militias

In a new indication of the extent of corruption and abuses caused  by the former Iraqi government headed by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki,   the documents  appear to clarify the role of the government in pumping the nation’s money and its resources to support the groups that are on the land and serving the sectarian project in the region, led by Iraq.

Previous government has pursued since February 2014, pumping money and  ammunition and even manipulation of personal papers in order to expand the groups that are on the land of Iraq and were already formed in Syria or other groups existed in name only.

Militias  were increased and  received all the support, whether politically and financially, and dramatically, and later became  as a parallel  ( alternative)  to  the army and security forces, noting that   the volunteer and training centers  were established and salaries paid for  its individuals .

The date 6/11/2014 as shown in the attached document, which provides for authorizing of  the prime minister or any one authorized by him to organizing  and equipping  and arming of “volunteers” with the required equipment  and weapons, and paying  their salaries and the salaries of the Awakening and the document stresses that the decision has been issued  before  the fatwa of Ulkipaia Jihad which was issued on the  date 13.06.2014.

It is indicated  that the nucleus of the jihadist popular crowd  was specifically formed in April 2014, two months before the fall of Mosul, where  500 volunteers from the factions of the Islamic resistance fighters were joined in   Garmah area to the west of Baghdad.

Also it was revealed that earlier reports about the presence of large numbers of fictitious names under suspicion of corruption that the Prime Minister Abadi   directed  to follow-up it , in the context of government measures to address the financial crisis.

Meanwhile , the figures show that the number of  fighters in the  militias of crowd exceeds one hundred thousand armed person, while others are talking about more than 142 thousand armed person , and  some of the leaders of the crowd practiced  pressure to prevent scrutiny of the fighters’ salaries.

According to the  body of “the popular crowd,”  the money that the crowd” forces gained from the 2015 budget, amounting to nearly 1.2 trillion Iraqi dinars, the equivalent of almost one billion dollars

In the 2016 budget  , the government approved a truncated by  3% of the salaries of employees and retirees to fill some of the needs of the popular crowd and the displaced. And  allocations of popular crowd, in the 2016 budget were increased  by 8.1 trillion dinars  to 3 trillion dinars (equivalent to US $ 2.6 billion) and re-transfer  60% of it to the body of “the popular crowd.” It also  transferred  by 100 billion Iraqi dinars (about $ 90 million) of the allocations  of the disarmament office and integration of the militias into the body of “the popular crowd .” As it  also transferred  3% of the total of goods and services supplies and maintenance of assets and capital expenditures to a body of “popular crowd” and the Ministry of Displacement and Migration in half . And  many Iraqi companies, businessmen and social institutions have initiated  to provide for members of “the crowd” with financial support, either dead or wounded, as well as take care of their families.

A recent examples for the continuing of  predominance of militias in the country , it was opened in Baghdad, “a private military college,” known as “academy of Sayed   Alkonnen” to graduate leaders,  belong to the militia “Saraya  Alsalam,” of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, as it is granting of ranks and badges for its students, they are  necessarily  from the militia leaders and its prominent elements.

Long talk about impact of these militias on the Iraqi economy, not to mention the abuse on Iraqis own money, and there are a lot of examples, specifically the areas where military operations are taken place  in the face of the organization Daash.

In the midst of a severe financial crisis  that hit  Iraq, which appear on the surface of the violations practiced by the previous government that led to the loss of  the wealth of Iraq and its bounty to implement the agenda that does not serve the interests of Iraq, not  in the least, not in any way, and not only this but also  the support for this militia comes from the pockets of Iraqis , not to mention these militias constitutes a clear and flagrant    threat to Iraq as a state ,  noting that these groups have formed entities within the country without having the interests of its security and stability, but also made it  a battleground for settling   issues  by proxy, to rebel against the concept of the state and transform it  into the influence of the militias.

Rawabet Research and Strategic Studies Center