U.S. report: Price tag for Iraq war continues to rise
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The price tag for Iraq war is rising
continuously and will reach about 8.4 billion U.S. dollars a month this
year, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
That is nearly two times of the monthly cost of 4.4 billion dollars in
2003, the first year of the war, according to the report.
The Pentagon attributed the hike to heavy replacement costs for lost,
destroyed and aging equipment mount, report said.
Combining costs in Afghanistan, the Pentagon will spend about 9.7
billion dollars a month during the current fiscal year that ends on Sept.
30.
In February, the Bush administration is expected to ask the Congress for
100 billion dollars in emergency war funding, on top of the 70 billion
dollars of war funds already approved for this year.
Since fiscal year 2001 that ended on Sept. 30, 2001, the Congress has so
far approved 503 billion dollars to pay for the "war on terror", including
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. experts said that the costs of "war on terror" is set to exceed the
price of the Vietnam War this year, becoming the most expensive war the
country fought since WWII.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-01/19/content_5628706.htm
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