“It’s all sunk costs, it’s money that we spent and we’re not going to recoup.”-Paul Eaton, retired U.S. Army Major General

The United States spent over U.S.$2.4 billion on building posts in Iraq, reports the Congressional Research Service.  Major General Thomas Richardson told reporters last month that the U.S. had already given away equipment valued at a total of around $247 million, just last year. Another $157 million in materials were handed over in the time before President Obama’s withdrawal of troops officially began.

Apparently the U.S. turned down offers from Israel to buy the equipment.

Don’t think any further U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will reduce U.S. government spending of taxpayer money on Iraq: The U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations revealed that the U.S. State Department is looking to spend upwards of $30 billion on Iraq over the next five years.  U.S. embassy in Baghdad already houses thousands of civilian officials and troops and contains 21 buildings in a space of over 100 acres. The U.S. military operates less than 40 bases in Iraq today.