Hot facts from the Iraq Quagmire: The Mounting Costs of the Iraq War


U.S. military killed in Iraq: 2,309
Number of U.S. troops wounded in combat since the war began: 16,653
Iraqi police and military deaths: 4,274
Iraqi civilians killed: Estimates range from 33,638 - 100,000

Number of resistance fighters in Iraq:
November 2003 estimate: 5,000 fighters
March 2006 estimate: 15,000 - 20,000 fighters

Number of attacks by Iraqi resistance:
2004: 27,000
2005: 34,100

What the Iraq war has created, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Council: “a training and recruitment ground (for terrorists), and an opportunity for terrorists to enhance their technical skills.”
Effect on al Qaeda of the Iraq War, according to International Institute for Strategic Studies: “Accelerated recruitment”

Number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq: 133,000
Number of “Coalition of the Willing” soldiers in Iraq: 20,000
Number of Private Military Contractors in Iraq: 50,000 - 100,000
Army soldiers in Iraq who have served two or more tours: 60,000 (2/3rds of current Army deployed)
Percentage of American troops serving in Iraq who think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year: 72%

Number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq who are Guard members or Reservists: 4 out of 10
Average time of mobilization for National Guard: 460 days
Percentage of reserve troops who earn lower salaries while on deployment: 30-40%

The bill so far: $251 billion*
The estimated long-term bill: $1.3 trillion

What $251 billion could have paid for in the U.S. for one year:
Affordable housing units: 2.3 million or
Scholarships for university students: 48.7 million or
Head Start slots for a year: 33 million

What $251 billion acould have paid for around the globe for three years:
Full funding for global anti-hunger efforts for and
Full funding of world-wide AIDS programs for and
Full funding for every child in the world for basic immunizations

Estimated cost of war to date to every U.S. citizen: $989
Average monthly cost of the Vietnam War, adjusted for inflation: $5.1 billion
Average monthly cost of the Iraq War in 2005: $5.9 billion

Amount that military contractor Halliburton has been awarded in contracts: $10.8 billion
Amount of “questionable” and “unsupported” Halliburton expenditures found by Senate investigators: $1.4 billion
Increase in Halliburton stock value since March 2003: 375%


* Congress is currently considering an additional $48.8b package for Iraq expected to be approved in April 2006.