Costs of UK's Iraq operation to top one billion pounds

[Robbien]

LONDON, Feb 28 (KUNA) -- The cost of operations in Iraq will be more than one billion pounds this year, British Government figures revealed Wednesday.

The forecast Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures for 2006-07, revealed in a House of Commons written answer, also showed 770 million pounds will be spent in Afghanistan. Spending in Iraq is at its highest level since 2003-04, and operations in Afghanistan have cost more than at any time since the war to overthrow the Taliban in 2001.

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Britains Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said the figures represented the "net additional costs" of the operations. He said "The costs that the department would have incurred regardless of the operation taking place, such as wages and salaries, are not included".

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Earlier this month, the MoD's departmental expenditure limit was increased by 500 million pounds to more than 34 billion pounds. Britains Defence Secretary Des Browne said an extra 387 million pounds was needed "to reflect the costs of peace keeping in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and the Global Prevention Pool".

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