UK - cost of war rises to £3 billion per year

The Royal Anglian Regiment which lost 9 troops in Afghanistan

The cost of Britain’s roll in both the Afghanistan and Iraq has risen once again. New figures released show that the cost of operations in Iraq has risen by 52% to £1.5 billion for the financial year 2007-2008. The cost of operations in Afghanistan was also up by 48% to £1.4 billion. The combined cost is up by 94% on the previous financial year. In 2006-2007 the cost of Afghanistan and Iraq was £1.7 billion. But this last year that has risen to £3.3 billion. MPs on the Commons Defence Committee have requested a full breakdown of the figures [Sky News]. The other cost in the war also remains high. In Iraq a total of 175 British service personnel have died, in Afghanistan the death toll stands at 89.

The US has lost 5 more troops today in a suicide attack which targeted them whilst they were patrolling Baghdad [CNN]. It brings the US death toll to 3,980 since the conflict started in March 2003. The cost of the war in Iraq is also rising is the US with latest projections suggesting the entire war may cost as much as $3 trillion. Already the cost has exceeded $12 billion per month in 2008 [CNN]