Iraq lost $31.4bn due to terror acts since US war

The Iraqi planning ministry said on Sunday that the total losses resulting from acts of terror between 2004 and 2016 reached $31.4 billion, Anadolu reported.

The US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which overthrew the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, and the subsequent war, caused large-scale destruction across the country and left it still struggling with extremist groups.

According to a report issued by the planning ministry, the amount of losses in areas not affiliated to ministries is estimated at 1.6 trillion Iraqi dinars ($1.4 billion), while infrastructure losses are estimated at 154.99 billion ($133million).

According to the report, the defence ministry is the most affected with losses estimated at 15.35 trillion Iraqi dinars. Al-Anbar is the most affected province with a total estimated loss of 107 billion Iraqi dinars.

The planning ministry said that most losses have happened following the emergence of Daesh.

The report does not include heritage sites and areas still under Daesh control.

The planning ministry called for donor countries to hold a conference in order to contribute to the reconstruction of the country.

Iraqi MP Mohamed Hamdi told Anadolu that Iraq’s losses due to terror attacks included the paralysis of several strategic projects in the middle and north of the country. He also said that the decreasing oil prices make it difficult to compensate the losses in the long run.