25 years after 9/11, US-led wars leave up to 4.7 million dead and US$8 trillion bill
TWENTY-five years after the Sept 11 attacks, the US-led wars that followed have left millions dead and displaced tens of millions, while saddling Washington with a bill of at least US$8 trillion. According to estimates by the Costs of War Project at ...
Nearly a quarter-century after the September 11 attacks, the United States-led wars have resulted in an estimated 4.5 million to 4.7 million deaths, according to the Costs of War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. The toll includes approximately 940,000 direct deaths and 3.6 million to 3.8 million indirect deaths resulting from disease, malnutrition, and other health complications.
Additionally, the wars have displaced over 38 million people in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Libya, and Syria, either as refugees or internally displaced individuals. Less than a month after the attacks, the US launched its military operation in Afghanistan, marking the beginning of a series of military campaigns that would span Afghanistan, Iraq, and several other countries across West Asia, South Asia, and Africa.
The longest war in American history has spanned four US presidential administrations, with the final invasion of Iraq occurring on March 19, 2003. Beyond the direct and indirect deaths, the US has spent around US$8 trillion on these conflicts, with another US$2.2 trillion projected for veterans' care over the coming decades. This overall cost is projected to be equal to the debt the US will pay in interest by 2030, burdening younger generations.
Public opinion in the United States has shifted away from supporting aggressive overseas military interventions, yet the ongoing conflict with Iran has struggled to garner significant public support.
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