Tri-Service
Calculating the Cost of Britain's War With the Taliban
British Army forces fired 46 million rounds of ammunition at Taliban fighters, averaging at 10,000 bullets per day over an 8 year period, costing £200m.
M789 HEDP 30 mm rounds (left) and (right) a soldier loading 30mm Cannon Rounds into an Apache Helicopter
The documents released via a Freedom of Information (FoI) request issued by the Daily Mirror, detail the exact cost of rounds fired. From 105mm artillery shells to the bullets sprayed out of an Apache chain gun at a rate of 625 per minute, the costs to the taxpayer are significant.
Data disclosed by the Ministry of Defence reveals some 27 million 5.56 rounds were fired from either the standard SA-80 assault rifle or minimi machine gun.
Soldiers shot through approximately £5,000 of ammunition for their assault rifles each day during the 8 year Afghan conflict.
SAS veteran Robert Henry Craft was quoted by the Daily Mirror saying:
“The amount of ammo expended shows how British troops in Afghanistan were fighting for their lives every day.”
During short distance close quarter combat between soldiers and Taliban militants, 2 million rounds were fired from 9mm handguns. Each of these rounds cost 50p.
“That so many 9mm rounds were used shows how close fighting was at times.”
The conflict claimed 453 UK lives.
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