Cost of regional wars rises to $5.6trn for United States

The US has spent $5.6trn on its wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan and related security initiatives over the past 16 years, according to newly released research by the Watson Institute of International and Public Affairs at Brown University. The figure is far higher than previous official estimates: the Department of Defense (Pentagon) has estimated the combined cost of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria at $1.5trn to date.