British cost of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan doubled in last year

LONDON (AP) - The British government says the costs of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have doubled in the last year to more than $6 billion.

In the past two years, Britain has brought home 3,200 troops from Iraq, but added 2,800 troops to its force in Afghanistan.

A Parliament committee says spending on the two campaigns will reach about $6.6 billion, nearly twice the cost of the operations last year.

The government is blaming the hike on the need to buy new equipment to protect troops from a changing threat. However, opposition politicians say the figures show the two campaigns have been underfunded for years.

The report is on the heels of a new book by a Nobel Prize-winning economist which also shows a steadily rising cost to the U.S. for Iraq and Afghanistan operations.

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