Post-9/11 wars caused millions of deaths and trillions in costs, report says

The short version

• Conflicts led by the United States since 2001 have directly or indirectly killed an estimated 4.5 to 4.7 million individuals, according to research from the Costs of War project.[Al Jazeera]
• More than 38 million people have been displaced across nations including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Libya, and Syria.[Al Jazeera]
• The direct financial cost of two decades of war for the United States reached approximately $5.8 trillion.[Al Jazeera]
• Veteran healthcare and disability support in the United States could require between $2.2 trillion and $2.5 trillion by 2050.[Al Jazeera]

Key facts

• The Costs of War project estimates that US-led post-9/11 military engagements directly or indirectly caused 4.5 to 4.7 million deaths.[Al Jazeera]
• Over 38 million people across multiple nations, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, were displaced by wars following 2001.[Al Jazeera]
• The United States spent an estimated $5.8 trillion on war operations across two decades.[Al Jazeera]
• Four times as many American service members and veterans died by suicide as were killed in combat during post-9/11 wars.[Al Jazeera]
• Direct war deaths in Afghanistan are estimated at 176,000 by the Costs of War project.[Al Jazeera]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• ‘Everything changed’: The human cost of 25 years of US warsAl Jazeera