So far, $6.2 billion has been allocated for military operations against the so-called Islamic State, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Most of that, $5.4 billion, was allocated for fiscal year 2015 with the campaign costing an estimated $11 million each day. Even though the conflict in the Afghanistan is winding down, it still cost the U.S. over $35 billion in 2015 while another $30 billion was allocated to a Pentagon “slush fund” not directly related to conflict but used to evade legislated budget caps. Since 2001, a grand total of $715 billion has been spent on the war in Afghanistan while Iraq cost somewhere in the region of $1.64 trillion.
How Does ISIS Fund Itself?
Kidnap and ransom bring in an estimated $45 million each year while foreign donations are worth approximately $5 million. One of the so-called Islamic State’s most important resources is seldom mentioned and that’s farmland. Fertile agricultural territory controlled by the group across Syria and Iraq could potentially generate over $200 million every year, according to a Thomson Reuters report.
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This chart shows total war funding allocated through the Overseas Contingency Operations fund (2001-2015).
You will find more statistics at Statista
