The US war in Iraq has cost $1.7 trillion with $490 billion more owed in benefits to combat veterans,. The total expenses in the unavailing conflict could balloon to $6 trillion over the next 40 years.
The study, conducted by the Costs of War Project by the Watson Institute for International Studies at Brown University, concluded that the accrued interest on the nearly $2.2 trillion in expenses would be around $4 trillion dollars during the coming years.
At the time of the 2003 invasion, the Bush administration estimated the war would cost between $50-60 billion.
At least 134,000 Iraqi civilians died as a result of the Iraq War, though the Watson Institute says the death toll could be up to four times higher. The report stated that with the inclusion of slain journalists, aid workers and insurgents, the base level death toll would be around 189,000.
The U.S.‑led Iraq Survey Group stated that Iraq had ended its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion.
