Iraq: ISIS Down, Corruption to Go

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the city of Al-Qaim (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the city of Al-Qaim (AFP)
TT
20

Iraq: ISIS Down, Corruption to Go

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the city of Al-Qaim (AFP)
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the city of Al-Qaim (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has prioritized counter-corruption efforts in the post-ISIS era.

There is serious concern about Abadi's ability to win his new battle-- especially that corruption is a challenging phenomenon with mafias and political, judicial and militia figures working on the premise compromising national authority for personal or regional interests.

Head of a political think tank Dr. Ihsan al-Shammari believes that although "putting an end to corruption today seems impossible, as was the case of the victory over ISIS (3 years ago), Abadi still won against the terror group.”

“And he will win his war against corruption.”

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, Shammari said that Abadi is very serious in putting an end to corruption.

Former Iraqi Integrity Committee Chairman Judge Rahim Al Ukaili stressed in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat that Abadi should begin to "strike the heads of corruption as they –and with no doubt- continue to loot astronomical sums of money from the national treasury."

Political pressure related to former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki forced Ukaili to submit his resignation.

Shammari added that "the anti-corruption plan is not a new move for Abadi. His government's program focused on fighting it from the early days of its formation."

"In early 2016, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Council was established under his (Abadi) chairmanship in coordination with the head of the Integrity Commission and the Financial Control Bureau.”

“He also restructured the offices of the inspectors, who were inactive in previous years,” said Shammari.

On the practical asteps followed by Abadi, Shammari pointed out that early-on the PM “sought to fix the leakage through which corruption seeps through establishing an electronic system covering all state institutions.”

“The system is aimed at inhibiting corruption. The e-government will be launched soon aimed at breaking the road to corruption,” added Shammari.

Shammari admits that the actions taken by the prime minister “may not show rapid results, but are effective and will achieve desired results in the near or medium term.”



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
TT
20

Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.