Factbox: A look at the costs of Afghan war to U.S. taxpayers

[JonLP24]

Obama has asked for $33 billion more to help fund 30,000 extra U.S. soldiers being sent to Afghanistan this year. He wants $4.5 billion more for beefed-up foreign aid and civilian operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year; about $2 billion of that amount is dedicated to Afghanistan.

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COSTS SO FAR

Congress has approved $345 billion so far for the war in Afghanistan, which the United States invaded to fight al Qaeda and topple the Taliban after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which produced the figure, said about $22 billion has gone for Afghan-war-related activities in other countries.

COMPARISON WITH IRAQ

Some $708 billion has gone to the Iraq war so far, CBO says. But Afghanistan is becoming the more expensive battleground, as the pace of U.S. military operations slows in Iraq and quickens in Afghanistan.

The current fiscal year, which ends September 30, is the first in which more money has been allocated to Afghanistan ($72.3 billion) than Iraq ($64.5 billion), according to the National Priorities Project, a nonpartisan budget research group that examines congressional appropriations.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE66F21Q20100716

[unhappycamper]

1. By time you count Veterans care, the Iraq adventure is going to cost around $3 trillion dollars

or so.

[ladjf]

2. We must leave Iraq and Afghanistan. We are doing no good there

and serious damage at home. Please Mr. President. Wake the Hell up and get us out of those Countries and while you are at it, quit threatening Iran.