Afghanistan: What's The Financial Cost Of 20 Years In The Country?

With the Taliban effectively taking full control of Afghanistan many Britons have been left asking the question: "Was the conflict worth it?"

Over the course of the UK's 20 years in the country, the human cost has been high, with 457 British personnel losing their lives, and the financial cost for all parties involved has ballooned.

What forces were sent in?

After the 9/11 terror attacks against the US in 2001, suspicion fell on Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden, who was in Afghanistan under the protection of the Taliban.

A month later Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that British forces were involved in military action against al-Qaeda training camps in the country, beginning British Armed Forces involvement.

The first UK troops deployed shortly after Royal Marines from 40 Commando helped secure Bagram airfield.

Since then more than 100,000 soldiers have been deployed on operations including Veritas, Fingal, Tarrock, Herrick and Toral, alongside international partners.

The UK played a leading role throughout, including forming and commanding the first International Stabilisation and Assistance Force (ISAF) with Headquarters HQ 3 (UK) Division in November 2001.

Watch: Afghanistan triggers difficult emotions for military veterans.

How much money has been spent?

By far the biggest spender throughout the conflict was the US with the cost of the war even growing to around $100bn annually for a number of years, according to estimates from Forbes.

Annual expenditure had settled to around $45bn by 2018, according to testimony to Congress made by a senior Pentagon official that same year. 

Since 2001, in total the US has spent $2.26 trillion in Afghanistan, the Costs of War Project at Brown University calculates.

Britain's spend, by comparison, is more modest but by no means any less significant.

Over the course of the whole conflict, the UK spent more than £22bn, according to estimates.

Answering a recent parliamentary question on the amount spent, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey put the cost of Operation Herrick at £22.2bn.

The funding was said to have been drawn from the Treasury Special Reserve, however, which is a common practice by governments to pay for wars.

Cover image: Soldiers from the Household Cavalry Regiment (HCR) on operations in Afghanistan (Picture: MOD).