The Pentagon on Monday said it has spent more than $5 billion to combat the Islamic State terror group in Iraq and Syria, an average of $11 million a day, between September 2014 and the end of last month.
More than half of the $5.36 billion spent in Operation Inherent Resolve went to daily air operations and most of the rest was spent on “missions support,” including logistics and military pay. The Defense Department also spent $1.26 billion on “munitions.”
The Air Force is by far spending more than any other service in the conflict. The Air Force spent 69 percent of the total $5.36 billion. The Army came in second at 13 percent, followed by the Navy at 11 percent. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) spent 7 percent.
As of Wednesday, Operation Inherent Resolve had carried out a total of 8,912 airstrikes, with about two thirds of them flown in Iraq and Syria, The Washington Post reported.
A study published by the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University estimated the total cost of U.S. wars through 2014 in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan at roughly $4.4 trillion.
• Kellan Howell can be reached at khowell@washingtontimes.com.
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