US-led 'war on terror' left over 3mn people dead in Muslim countries: report

WASHINGTON: The war on terror launched by the US government in the wake of 9/11 attacks has cost at least 801,000 lives (actual figures are higher) and $6.4 trillion to the world, according to a pair of reports published on Wednesday by the Costs of War Project at Brown University.

"The numbers continue to accelerate, not only because many wars continue to be waged, but also because wars don't end when soldiers come home," said Costs of War co-director and Brown professor Catherine Lutz, who co-authored the project's report on deaths.

"These reports provide a reminder that even if fewer soldiers are dying and the US is spending a little less on the immediate costs of war today, the financial impact is still as bad as, or worse than, it was 10 years ago," Lutz added.

The new Human Cost of Post-9/11 Wars report tallies "direct deaths" in major war zones, grouping people by civilians; humanitarian and NGO workers; journalists and media workers; US military members, civilians, and contractors as well as other allied troops and opposition fighters. 

The report sorts direct deaths by six categories: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria/ISIS, Yemen, and other. The civilian death toll across all regions is up to 335,745—or nearly 42% of the total figure. Notably, the report does not include indirect deaths. 

Costs of War board member and American University professor David Vine says that this means that total deaths during the post-2001 US wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen are likely to reach 3.1 million or more — around 200 times the number of US dead.

"Don't we have a responsibility to wrestle with our individual and collective responsibility for the destruction our government has inflicted?" Vine asked in an op-ed. "Our tax dollars and implied consent have made these wars possible."

Referencing a report which claims that $6.4 trillion were spent on these wars, Vine wrote, "Consider how we could have otherwise spent that incomprehensible sum—to feed the hungry, improve schools, confront global warming, and improve our transportation infrastructure."

"At a time when everyone from Donald Trump to Democratic Party candidates for president is calling for an end to these endless wars, we must push our government to use diplomacy—rather than rash withdrawals, as in northern Syria—to end these wars responsibly."

The $6.4 trillion figure accounts for overseas contingency operations appropriations, interest for borrowing for OCO spending, war-related spending in the Pentagon's base budget, as well as medical and disability care for post-9/11 veterans. 

Costs of War co-director and Boston University professor Neta Crawford co-authored the death toll report, and says that "the major trends in the budgetary costs of the post-9/11 wars include: less transparency in reporting costs among most major agencies".