PRT BAGHDAD: SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FOR BAGHDAD

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 001389 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA-I/POL E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/27/2026 TAGS: PGOV ECON SOCI IZ SUBJECT: PRT BAGHDAD: SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS FOR BAGHDAD RESIDENTS Classified By: Classified by Baghdad PRT leader Joe Gregoire for reason s 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) During a recent conversation with a member of the Baghdad PRT, Provincial Council (PC) staff member Kadheim Fleiha, the principal staff employee on the PC,s Social Security Committee, disclosed that social security benefits are now being distributed to Baghdad residents. ¶2. (C) Fleiha said representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs (MSA) in the Adhamiyah District of Baghdad are distributing social security benefits to 2,586 families. These families are receiving their benefits monthly and have been added to the government payroll for administrative purposes. ¶3. (SBU) MSA representatives in Baghdad's Kadhamiyah District have forwarded the names of 5,016 families to the District Council (DC) to verify their residency status. These families have been approved for social security benefits pending verification of their residency status. The Kadhamiyah DC is helping the MSA representatives identify suitable applicants for the program. ¶4. (SBU) 13,700 additional residents of Baghdad province have been approved for social security benefits. They will be notified via local newspapers when they may begin drawing monthly payments. ¶5. (C) The Baghdad PC is tracking the distribution of social security benefits to residents of Baghdad to ensure that the system runs smoothly within the province. ¶6. (C) Comment. Funding of the social security benefits bypasses the PC. Although the MSA is ultimately responsible for the success of the program, according to Fleiha, the provincial government will bear the brunt of the anger should the system falter and qualified social security beneficiaries not receive their payments. End comment. KHALILZAD