At least 4.5 million people have died as a consequence of wars that have raged across North Africa and the Middle East since the 9/11 attacks on U.S. soil in 2001, according to new research from the Costs of War project at Brown University’s Watson Institute.
The Cost of War project conservatively estimated up to 3.6 million indirect deaths from the post-9/11 wars, caused by economic collapse, food insecurity, destruction of public health facilities, environmental contamination, and recurring violence.
That number adds to the 906,000 to 937,000 killed as a direct consequence of the wars across Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Somalia, according to the Cost of War project.
The project does not ascribe blame to a country because the wars in the Middle East and Africa have involved multiple warring parties, rival nations and complicated geopolitics.
Stephanie Savell, the Costs of War co-director and author of the report, said in countries like Afghanistan, which U.S. troops occupied for roughly 20 years, the “pressing question is whether any death can today be considered unrelated to war.”
“Wars often kill far more people indirectly than in direct combat, particularly young children,” Savell said in a statement. “Warring parties who damage infrastructure with an impact on population health have a moral responsibility to provide quick and effective assistance and repairs.”
“The United States government, while not solely responsible for the damage, has a significant obligation to invest in humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in post-9/11 war zones,” Savell continued. “The U.S. government could do far more than it currently is to act on this responsibility.”
The U.S. launched its fight against global terrorism after Al-Qaeda extremists crashed a plane into the Twin Towers and killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
Washington has ended U.S. engagement in major wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, though it continues to fight against terrorist groups such as ISIS across the Middle East and Al-Shabab in Somalia.
U.S. lawmakers this year have vigorously debated the global military presence, with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) forcing the House to vote on resolutions to withdraw troops from Somalia and Syria, both of which failed.
The Senate passed a resolution in March to formally rescind two war authorizations against Iraq, which have been used to justify global terrorism operations.
Meanwhile, many countries in the Middle East and North Africa are still embroiled in deadly civil wars and extremist fighting.
At least 7.6 million children younger than 5 are suffering from acute malnutrition in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia, according to the new report from the Cost of War project.
Brown University launched the Cost of War project in 2011 to document the toll of the U.S. war on terrorism across the world.
The team included 35 scholars, legal experts, human rights practitioners, and physicians.