President Donald Trump criticized U.S. spending of more than seven trillion dollars on conflicts and reconstruction efforts in the Middle East and Afghanistan only a few days after some officials announced that the United States does not plan to contribute any money at a major conference in Kuwait to fund Iraq’s reconstruction drive after the war against the Islamic State.
Trump’s remarks hit out at the choices of past administrations, especially over foreign policy in the Middle East and Central Asia, since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, Newsweek reports. According to the president, the expensive struggle to stabilize Afghanistan and Iraq has exacerbated economic difficulties at home.
“As of a couple of months ago, we have spent 7 trillion dollars in the Middle East. Seven trillion dollars. What a mistake. But it is what is,” Trump said Monday at a White House meeting on with officials and lawmakers on infrastructure.
He added that the authorities are having a hard time getting the money needed for building infrastructure.
“We’re trying to build roads and bridges and fix bridges that are falling down and we have a hard time getting the money. It’s crazy. Think about it: as of a couple of months ago, $7 trillion in the Middle East and the Middle East is far worse now than it was 17 years ago when they went in and not so intelligently, I have to say, went in. I’m being nice. So, it is a very sad thing,” Trump emphasized.
Some fact-checkers at The Washington Post dispute the sum that Trump has mentioned. They say that according to a Brown University study, the real cost of wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Syria in the period between 2001 and 2016 is about 3.6 trillion dollars. According to the Associated Press, those wars cost 5.6 trillion dollars.
The reconstruction of Iraq after three years of war with Islamic State is estimated to cost more than 88 billion dollars.
Be the first to comment