Iraq war cost could top $US2 trillion

The cost of the Iraq war could top $US2 trillion ($A2.65 trillion) after factoring in long-term health care for wounded US veterans, rebuilding a worn-down military and accounting for other unforeseen bills and economic losses, according to a new analysis.

The estimate by Nobel Prize-winning Columbia University economist Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard lecturer Linda Bilmes far exceeds projections made by the Bush Administration.

The figure is more than four times what the war was expected to cost taking in this year — about $US500 billion, according to congressional budget data.


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