http://www.americanprogress.org
Two Years After the Invasion: Iraq by the Numbers
March 18, 2005
Two years after U.S. troops invaded Iraq and achieved a swift military victory, our armed forces and the people of Iraq are facing a dangerous and unstable situation. There has been good news: January's election, this month's inaugural session of the National Assembly, and strides in education stand out. But for every step forward there have been two steps back: U.S. troop presence in Iraq is at an all-time high, and the Army and Marines are stretched as never before. American taxpayers are spending almost $7 billion every month to maintain our presence in Iraq and Iraqi citizens are dying in attacks that come almost daily. Reconstruction of the country proceeds at a glacial pace. The following numbers help tell the story.*
Two Years After the Invasion: Iraq by the Numbers
March 18, 2005
Two years after U.S. troops invaded Iraq and achieved a swift military victory, our armed forces and the people of Iraq are facing a dangerous and unstable situation. There has been good news: January's election, this month's inaugural session of the National Assembly, and strides in education stand out. But for every step forward there have been two steps back: U.S. troop presence in Iraq is at an all-time high, and the Army and Marines are stretched as never before. American taxpayers are spending almost $7 billion every month to maintain our presence in Iraq and Iraqi citizens are dying in attacks that come almost daily. Reconstruction of the country proceeds at a glacial pace. The following numbers help tell the story.*
- 200 -- Lowest estimated number in billions of U.S. taxpayers dollars that have been spent on the war in Iraq
- 152,000 -- Estimated number of troops currently deployed in Iraq
- 1,511 -- U.S. troops killed in Iraq since the invasion
- 11,285 -- Americans wounded since the invasion was launched two years ago
- 21,100-39,300 -- Estimated number of Iraqi civilians killed since the invasion by violence from war and crime
- 176 -- Non-U.S. coalition troops killed in Iraq since the invasion
- 339 -- Coalition troops killed by Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)
- 70 -- Daily average number of insurgent attacks on coalition forces in February 2005
- 14 -- Daily average number of insurgent attacks on coalition forces in February 2004
- 18,000 -- Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq today
- 5,000 -- Estimated number of insurgents in Iraq in June 2003
- 27 vs. 14 -- Countries remaining in the "coalition of the willing" versus number of coalition troops that have withdrawn all their forces or announced their intention to do so
- 25,000 -- Non-U.S. coalition troops still in Iraq
- 4,500 -- Troops that Italy and the Netherlands have pledged to withdraw before the end of the year
- 271,000 -- Number of Iraqi security forces including police, border, and national guard forces that the U.S. says it wants to train by July 2006
- 142,472 -- Iraqi security troops the Pentagon says it has trained and equipped
- 40,000 -- Iraqi troops that General Richard Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said are adequately trained and equipped to handle most threats
- 40 -- Percent of U.S. troops in Iraq that belong to the National Guard and Reserve
- 0 -- Number of active Army combat units deployed to Iraq that have received the required year-long break from active duty required by Pentagon rules
- 30 -- Percent by which the U.S. National Guard missed its recruitment targets in November and December 2004
- 27 -- Percent by which the U.S. Army missed its recruitment goals in the past month
- 15 -- Percent of military personnel, according to GAO, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, who could develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- 2 -- Estimated output of Iraqi oil industry in millions of barrels per day
- 2.8 -- Estimated output of Iraqi oil industry in millions of barrels per day before the U.S. invasion
- 8 -- Average number of hours that Iraqis have electricity per day
- 28-40 -- Estimated Iraqi unemployment rate
- 4.3 -- Millions of children enrolled in primary school today
- 3.6 -- Millions of children enrolled in primary school in 2000
- 108 -- Millions of dollars in Halliburton overcharges hidden from international auditors by the Pentagon
- 9 -- Billions of dollars the Coalition Provisional Authority cannot account for of all funds dispensed for Iraq reconstruction
