Summary Pentagon has spent $1.1 billion on military operations against IS militants in Iraq and Syria.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has spent as much as $1.1 billion on U.S. military operations against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria since the mission began in mid-June, including more than $62 million alone in Navy airstrikes and Tomahawk cruise missiles.
U.S. Central Command says the Navy has dropped roughly 185 munitions, including 47 cruise missiles launched from ships in the region. Central Command, in data released Monday, said Air Force fighter jets have far exceeded those numbers, launching close to 1,000 munitions. The $62 million is only for Navy munitions. No costs were provided for Air Force munitions.
The bulk of the Navy costs were for the 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles fired by American warships in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea that targeted the Khorasan Group, an al-Qaida cell, in eight locations west of the city of Aleppo in Syria.
The group was said to be plotting imminent attacks on American and Western interests, and it was one of the key targets two weeks ago when the U.S. first began airstrikes into Syria.
The Pentagon has struggled to come up with specific cost figures for the Iraq and Syria operations. Officials say it has cost an average of $7 million to $10 million daily since June.
