The Friday announcement by Pentagon's Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby comes amid numerous complaints by Iraqi officials about lack of Washington's cooperation with Baghdad in delivering timely response to ISIL's terror moves as well as US refusal to provide intelligence data on movements of the Takfiri terrorists, who have captured numerous Iraqi towns and villages and committed huge attrocities against local civilian population.

"It's costing us about $7.5 million per day," said Kirby, claiming that US involvement in operations against the ISIL began on June 16. 

"As our op (operational) tempo and as our activities have intensified, so, too, has the cost," Kirby said, noting that the figures were based on a snapshot of expenses between June 16 and August 26.

He did not offer an estimate of the Pentagon's total costs so far, but an average cost of $7.5 million per day for 71 days would mean the US military has spent roughly $532 million.

By comparison, the Pentagon has been spending roughly $1.3 billion per week on Afghanistan, analysts said.

The estimate includes fuel for flying reconnaissance and strike missions, the cost of missiles and other weapons fired, as well as some payments for personnel, military officials said.

Local observers, however, insist that US has been making more pledges than actual military action against the notorious Takfiri terrorists who continue to commit massacres and other atrocities against local residents in areas under their control.

This while the US authorities claims that the military has so far carried out 110 air strikes as well as conducting nearly 60 aerial reconnaissance missions per day. In addition, Washington has deployed more than 800 troops to Iraq in a supposed effort to evaluate the ISIL terror campaign in the war-torn country.

The operation is being paid for from the Pentagon's war-spending budget, which included some $80 billion in 2014, mainly for the conflict in Afghanistan.

NTJ/MB