As much as $1.1 billion has been spent on U.S. military operations against militants in Iraq and Syria since operations began in mid-June, reported the Associated Press on Monday.
Figures released Monday by U.S. Central Command show that $62 million has been spent on Navy strikes alone, with much of the cost stemming from the high price tag of Tomahawk cruise missiles.
The Navy has deployed around 185 munitions, including 47 Tomahawk missiles, and Air Force fighter jets have launched nearly 1,000 munitions, said Central Command. No data was provided on the cost of Air Force strikes.
Most of the missiles were launched from warships located in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and targeted the al-Qaeda offshoot Khorasan in eight locations west of Aleppo, Syria, the AP reported.
Despite the billion plus cost of such strikes on ISIS and Khorasan, reports indicate that the U.S. has not succeeded in significantly dismantling or halting the progress of either group. Strikes have failed to stop ISIS from advancing, and the group is now "close to capturing the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobane," reported the New Zealand Herald.
Recent strikes on the Khorasan also failed to disrupt their operations. Officials told Reuters that many suspected Khorasan leaders and members either escaped the strikes, taking high-tech explosive devices with them, or were not actually in the area of the strike to begin with.
The strikes were reportedly conducted to "disrupt imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western targets," according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby.
But now, in the wake of the U.S. attacks, officials are saying that such imminent terrorist attacks by Khorasan may not have actually been an immediate threat. Because the U.S. missed their targets, officials say that Khorasan members are likely still planning attacks.
