The price tag for Iraq war is rising continuously and will reach about 8.4
billion US dollars a month this year, The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.
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.
US 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.
