US President George W. Bush asked Congress on Monday for 82 billion dollars of emergency fund to support the US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pushing the total price tag to past 100 billion dollars for fiscal year 2005 alone. (AFP file photo)

    WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- US President George W. Bush asked Congress on Monday for 82 billion dollars of emergency fund to support the US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, pushing the total price tag to past 100 billion dollars for fiscal year 2005 alone.

    "The majority of this request will ensure that our troops continue to get what they need to protect themselves and complete their mission," Bush said in a statement accompanying the bill.

    The request included 74.9 billion dollars for the Defense Department, among which 5.7 billion dollars were for the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces and 2 billion dollars for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.

    The package also provided 400 million dollars in aid to nationsthat have sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. It included 200 million in aid for the Palestinians in order to help the United States "build peace and democracy in the Middle East."

    There were also other funding such as aid for Pakistan and Ukraine, and assistance for tsunami-damaged Asian countries.

    The package will push the total cost for conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq so far to nearly 300 billion dollars. The Congress had approved 25 billion dollars in supplement spending inDecember for 2005.

    The 82-billion-dollar request was not included in the 2.57-trillion-dollar budget plan for fiscal year of 2006 the White House sent to Congress one week ago. That budget includes 419.3 billion dollars for the Defense Department for fiscal 2006, representing a 4.8 percent increase over fiscal 2005. Enditem