Britain's war costs in Iraq and Afghanistan triple over last 4 years

The annual cost of U.K. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan has more than tripled in the last four years as the extra troops deployed to fight the Taliban outweighed the drawdown of Britain’s presence in Basra.
Total spending for both wars will reach 4.37 billion pounds ($7.15 billion) in the current fiscal year, which ends in March 2010, compared with 1.56 in the year ended March 2006, according to Ministry of Defense figures published by the House of Commons Defense Committee.

It is estimated the Afghanistan war will cost 3.5 billion pounds in the current fiscal year, up from 2.6 billion pounds last year and 199 million pounds in 2005.

In Iraq, the U.K. expects to spend 877 million pounds in the current year. It’s finishing the troop withdrawal this month. Last year it spent 1.96 billion pounds, up from 957 million pounds in 2005.