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| 1,000 US troops in Afghanistan costs $1 bn per annum |
| Press Trust of India / Washington Oct 09, 2009, 10:05 IST |
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Sending 1,000 troops to Afghanistan would cost the US exchequer $1 billion per annum, the White House has said, amidst report that the American commanders on the ground have asked for 40,000 more troops for this South Asian country.
"I think the figure that I saw is for every thousand troops per year, it's a billion dollars," White House spokesman, Robert Gibbs, told reporters at his daily press briefing, adding that no decision has been taken on the sending additional troops to Afghanistan.
In March this year, US President Barack Obama had announced sending an additional 21,000 troops and trainers to the region. But with the Taliban gaining momentum, General Steanley McChrystal, Commander of the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, has sought an additional 40,000 troops.
This if sanctioned, would raise the number of US forces in Afghanistan to more than 100,000; and as per Gibb's calculation would incur an additional financial burden of $40 billion per annum.
Gibbs said Obama would discuss today the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan and also the question of additional resources.
Cost would be a factor when deciding on sending additional resources to Afghanistan, he said in response to a question.
"Well, it's something we certainly have to be mindful of. We don't have unlimited money. We certainly don't have unlimited troops," Gibbs said.
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