Cost of War in Iraq and Afghanistan

A prisoner of war (POW, PoW, PW, P/W, WP, or PsW) or enemy prisoner of war (EPW) is a combatant who is held in continuing custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase is dated 1660.

The Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq, The Second Gulf War is an ongoing[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/03/19/iraq-war-years-later-success-victory/ Fox News: Iraq War 6 Years Later: Success But No 'Victory'] military campaign which began on March 20, 2003, with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.

Prior to the war, the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom claimed that Iraq's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) posed a threat to their security and that of their coalition/regional allies.Center for American Progress (January 29, 2004) [http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/kfiles/b24970.html "In Their Own Words: Iraq's 'Imminent' Threat"] americanprogress.orgSenator Bill Nelson (January 28, 2004) [http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/2004_cr/s012804b.html "New Information on Iraq's Possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction",] Congressional RecordBlair, A. (March 5, 2002) "PM statement on Iraq following UN Security Council resolution" Number 10 Downing Street In 2002, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1441 which called for Iraq to completely cooperate with UN weapon inspectors to verify that Iraq was not in possession of weapons of mass destruction and cruise missiles. The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) found no evidence of WMD, but could not verify the accuracy of Iraq's weapon declarations.Hersh, Seymour M. (May 5, 2003). Selective Intelligence, New Yorker.U.S. Senate Intelligence Community (June 2008): "Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq Intelligence, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office".There is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate. - Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV At the time Hans Blix, the lead weapons inspector, advised the UN Security Council that while Iraq was cooperating in terms of access, Iraq's declarations with regards to WMD still could not be verified.Blix, H. (March 7, 2003) [http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/03/07/sprj.irq.un.transcript.blix/index.html "Transcript of Blix's U.N. presentation"] CNN.com In his remarks to the UN Security Council on 14.2.2003 Hans Blix said on cooperation that "In my 27 January update to the Council, I said that it seemed from our experience that Iraq had decided in principle to provide cooperation on process, most importantly prompt access to all sites and assistance to UNMOVIC in the establishment of the necessary infrastructure. This impression remains and we note that access to sites has so far been without problems." On time remaining until the confirmation of disarmament he said "the period of disarmament through inspection could still be short if immediate, active and unconditional cooperation with UNMOVIC and IAEA were to be forthcoming." United Nations Security Council: 4707th meeting. Friday, 14 February 2003, 10 a.m., New York, New York, USA.

After investigation following the invasion, the US-led Iraq Survey Group concluded that Iraq had ended its nuclear, chemical, and biological programs in 1991 and had no active programs at the time of the invasion, but that they intended to resume production if the Iraq sanctions were lifted. Although some degraded remnants of misplaced or abandoned chemical weapons from before 1991 were found, they were not the weapons which had been the pretext for the invasion.Shrader, K. (June 22, 2006) "New Intel Report Reignites Iraq Arms Fight" Associated Press Some US officials also accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of harboring and supporting al-Qaeda, but no evidence of a meaningful connection was ever found.Woods, K.M. and Lacey, J. (2008) "Saddam and Terrorism: Emerging Insights from Captured Iraqi Documents," vol. 1 Institute for Defense Analyses IDA Paper P-4287, pp. ES-1Kerr, R.J., et al. (29 July 2004) "Intelligence and Analysis on Iraq: Issues for the Intelligence Community," MORI Doc. ID 1245667 (Langley, VA: Central Intelligence Agency)

Other reasons for the invasion given included Iraq's financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers,CNN (September 12, 2002) "White House spells out case against Iraq", "the White House released a report early Thursday, listing some of the principal accusations against Iraq and its leader.... Iraq is also accused of sheltering two Palestinian terrorist organizations, and it lists Saddam's decision in 2002 to increase from $10,000 to $25,000 the bounty paid to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers." Iraqi government human rights abuses,Wolfowitz, P. (May 30, 2003) and an effort to spread democracy to the country."President Discusses the Future of Iraq" The White House, February 26, 2003"Bush Sought ?Way' To Invade Iraq?" 60 Minutes

The invasion of Iraq led to an occupation and the eventual capture of President Hussein, who was later executed by the new Iraqi government. Violence against coalition forces and among various sectarian groups soon led to the Iraqi insurgency, strife between many Sunni and Shia Iraqi groups, and al-Qaeda operations in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 2 Feb 2007, see "four wars" remark

In June 2008, US Department of Defense officials claimed security and economic indicators began to show signs of improvement in what they hailed as significant and fragile gains."US Department of Defense (June 2008): Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq Iraq was fifth on the 2008 Failed States Index,Foreign Policy: The Failed States Index 2008 and sixth on the 2009 list.Foreign Policy: 2009 Failed States Index

Member nations of the Coalition withdrew their forces as public opinion favoring troop withdrawals increased and as Iraqi forces began to take responsibility for security.[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/10/02/africa/ME-GEN-Iraq-Britain.php Britain's Brown visits officials, troops in Iraq.] International Herald Tribune, October 2, 2007.Italy plans Iraq troop pull-out BBC March 15, 2005 In late 2008, the US and Iraqi governments approved a Status of Forces Agreement effective through January 1, 2012.Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Iraq On the Withdrawal of United States Forces from Iraq and the Organization of Their Activities during Their Temporary Presence in Iraq The Iraqi Parliament also ratified a Strategic Framework Agreement with the US,http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/SE_SFA.pdf Strategic Framework Agreement (pdf bitmap) aimed at ensuring cooperation in constitutional rights, threat deterrence, education,English Language Teaching and Learning Program (US State Dept.) energy development, and other areas.Karadsheh, J. (November 27, 2008) [http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/11/27/iraq.main/ "Iraq parliament OKs pact on U.S. troops' future"] CNN

In late February 2009, US President Barack Obama announced a new 18-month withdrawal window for "combat forces", with approximately 50,000 troops remaining in the country "to advise and train Iraqi security forces and to provide intelligence and surveillance". General Ray Odierno, the top US military commander in Iraq, said he believes all US troops will be out of the country by the end of 2011,CNN: General: U.S. should be out of Iraq by late 2011 while British forces ended combat operations on April 30, 2009. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has said he supports the accelerated pullout of US forces.FoxNews: Iraq Welcomes Faster U.S. Withdrawal Reports