Iraq War
Also dubbed the Second Persian Gulf War (more on the first later), this war started back in 2003 and lasted 8 years, all the way to 2011, and despite the fact that the war officially ended, American troops are still in the region. This is called “Operation Inherent Resolve,” which aims to combat ISIS and other terrorist groups.
The war had two phases: the first one began when the Iraqi forces were defeated by the U.S., Great Britain, and other allies. And the second one is the American occupation of Iraq and the fight against rebel forces.
Along with the dubious reasons why this attack has started, the American public was told that the U.S. has reasonable reasons to believe that Iraq is both harboring terrorist groups and a large number of weapons of mass destruction (despite having renounced them after the first Persian Gulf War). During the whole duration of this war, the United States lost 4,500 troops in action, with another 32,000 more injured.
In total, the war cost $838 billion, and because it is so recent, it would only end up costing $846 billion in today’s money. Not such a huge difference like the rest, but definitely a lot of money!
