THE MOUNTING COSTS OF THE IRAK WAR

The Iraq Quagmire-- Erik Leaver and Jenny Shin Editor: Saif Rahman Foreign Policy In Focus Editor's note: Since 2004, IPS has been tracking the costs of the Iraq War in human and financial costs to the United States, Iraq, and the rest of the world. This latest fact sheet is designed to help bring a full understanding of the devastation of the war. The PDF link for this article provides the following information in an easy to read format designed for duplication and popular education. U.S. military killed in Iraq: 3,973. Number of U.S. troops wounded in combat since the war began: 29,203. Iraqi Security Force deaths: 7,924 . Iraqi civilians killed: Estimates range from 81,632-1,120,000. Internally displaced refugees in Iraq: 3.4 million .Iraqi refugees living abroad: 2.2-2.4 million .Iraqi refugees admitted to the U.S.: 3,222. Number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq: 155,000 .Number of "Coalition of the Willing" soldiers in Iraq: February 2008: 9,895 September 2006: 18,000 November 2004: 25,595. Army soldiers in Iraq who have served two or more tours: 74%. Number of Private Military Contractors in Iraq: 180,000. Number of Private Military Contractors criminally prosecuted by the U.S. government for violence or abuse in Iraq: 1 .Number of contract workers killed: 917 .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" .The bill so far: $526 billion. Cost per day: $275 million .Cost per household: $4,100 .The estimated long-term bill: $3 trillion. What $526 billion could have paid for in the U.S. in one year. Children with health care: 223 million, or Scholarships for university students, 86 million ,or Head Start places for children: 72 million. Cost of 22 days in Iraq could safeguard our nation's ports from attack for ten years. Cost of 18 hours in Iraq could secure U.S. chemical plants for five years. Iraqi Unemployment level: 25-40% .*U.S. unemployment during the Great Depression: 25. 90% of the Iraqi population is without access to clean water. 80% is without sanitation. 90% of Iraq's 180 hospitals lack basic medical and surgical supplies. 79% of Iraqis oppose the presence of Coalition Forces. 78% of Iraqis believe things are going badly in Iraq overall. 64% of Americans oppose the war in Iraq. What the "Declaration of Principles" has set according to Defense Secretary Robert Gates: "A mutually agreed arrangement whereby we have a long and enduring presence." Erik Leaver is the policy outreach director for Foreign Policy In Focus and a research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Jenny Shin is an intern at the Institute for Policy Studies. Fuente: In Focus/ Prensa Popular Comunistas Miranda http://prensapopular-comunistasmiranda.blogspot.com/