Pentagon Prices Libyan Operation At $896 Million
Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 9:04AMThe military operation in Libya has cost the Defense Department approximately $896 million.
“This … includes amounts for daily military operations, munitions used in the operation, President-directed drawdown of DoD supplies, and humanitarian assistance,” a statement from a Pentagon official reads.
The estimate, which was provided by the Defense Department, only goes up to July 31st. The previous estimate accounting for expenditures from the start of operations through June 30th priced the mission at $820 million.
Since operations began in April 1st, the U.S. has flown 5,316 sorties in the country and dropped ordnance on 262 occasions. This included 101 Predator strikes.
The conflict between Libyan rebels and the Gadhafi regime appears to have entered it’s final stretch after rebel forces began a siege on Tripoli, a Gadhafi stronghold. The international community has interpreted the development as a surefire sign that the Gadhafi regime will collapse.
UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon announced Monday that there will be a meeting with a variety of international bodies to discuss Libya’s post-Gadhafi future.
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