The war in Afghanistan began in 2001 and has cost the U.S. $978 billion through fiscal year 2020.1 The George W. Bush administration launched the war in Afghanistan and the War on Terror in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda. The United States attacked the Taliban in Afghanistan for hiding al-Qaeda’s leader, Osama bin Laden.
he number grows even more when taking into account increases in the base budgets for the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs. In addition to the $978 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations funds specifically dedicated to the war, the base budget for the Department of Defense (DOD) increased by about $343 billion since FY2000, to $633 billion for FY2020.23The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget has increased by more than $175 billion in that same time frame.45 Some of these costs also are attributable to the War in Iraq. Läs artikel