WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The up-to-date cost of the operation against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria amounts to more than $5 billion, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters on Wednesday.
“As of December 15, the total cost of the operation here in Iraq and Syria thus far has been $5.53 billion," Warren stated in a briefing. "That works to $11 million per day."
Warren noted the international coalition against the Islamic State has flown 65,492 sorties and carried out 9,782 airstrikes of which 3,266 in Syria.
In addition, the allies have provided basic combat training for 16,715 personnel to counter the terror group.
The US-led coalition of 65 nations has been conducting operations against the Islamic State in Iraq since August 2014 and in Syria since September 2014, but without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.
The Islamic State, also known as Daesh, has been outlawed in many countries, including the United States and Russia.
