$1.7bn in US aid to Iraq in 3 years, spent $14.3bn fighting Daesh

The United States has provided $1.7 billion in humanitarian assistance to Iraq since 2014, the US Ambassador Douglas Silliman revealed during a roundtable with Iraqi media on Tuesday.

This is in addition to $112 million to support the removal of explosive remnants of war including landmines, unexploded ordnance and improvised explosive devices from Daesh in Iraq and to provide mine risk education to the Iraqi public. Some $48 million was allocated during the fiscal year 2017.

“The United States has been the largest donor for humanitarian assistance to help the nazahin [displaced persons] while they are out of their homes, now more than $1.7 billion over the past three years,” Silliman said during the meeting.

In addition to this, the US has provided $115 million to the UNDP’s Funding Facility for Stabilisation for projects in Iraq which is due to double.

“We have provided $112 million to help remove explosive remnants of war – IEDs, unexploded ordnance, and explosive caches left by Daesh – and have provided thus far $115 million in stabilisation assistance through the UN Development Programme to focus on restoring power, water, sewage, basic health care, and schools for people back in the neighborhood, so they can return home, and are currently discussing with the Iraqi Government and UNDP an additional $150 million in American assistance for these stabilisation programmes.”

The figures are far lower than the amount the US has spent waging an air war on Daesh in Syria and Iraq. According to the US Department of Defence, the war has cost $14.3 billion since it was launched on 8 August 2014 to 30 June 2017. An average expenditure of $13.6 million per day.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi declared victory over Daesh in October.

Read: US to maintain military presence in Syria ‘as long as necessary’