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| Afghanistan |
| Canada's Afghan mission bill $10.5b |
| 2008-10-10 |
| Routing out insurgents from Afghanistan and rebuilding the war-torn nation has so far cost Canada an estimated 10.5b dollars (Canadian). That amount is expected to nearly double to 18.1 billion dollars (15.8 billion US), or about 1,500 dollars (1,309 US) per Canadian household, by the mission's end in 2011, parliamentary budget officer Kevin Page said in a report. "This is the first comprehensive costing of Canada's Afghanistan mission covering military operations, development aid and reconstruction costs, and the long-term costs of taking care of Canada's veterans," he told reporters. Military operations accounted for much of the costs, at up to 7.42 billion dollars (6.47 billion US), followed by veterans' benefits at 2.08 billion dollars (1.81 billion US), and 0.97 billion dollars (0.85 billion US) in aid for Afghanistan. The study does not include the cost of diplomatic efforts, nor does it presume to "put a monetary value on the heroic efforts of brave Canadian soldiers who have given up their life in service to Canada," said the report. Accelerated procurement of military equipment and danger pay for soldiers was also excluded from the final amount "due to lack of reliable data," it said. "This suggests that the estimates provided may understate the costs of Canada's mission in Afghanistan," Page said in his report. |
| Posted by:Fred |