The US Senate approved 81 billion US dollars on Thursday for American military and other operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The money was included in an emergency spending bill that the Senate passed by a vote of 99-0, and would bring the total cost of combat and reconstruction in the two countries to over 300 billion dollars.

The House approved its version of the bill in mid-March.

Senate and House negotiators are expected to work out a final version quickly for the president's signature, as the Pentagon has said it needs the money in early May.

The bulk of the money, about 75 billion dollars, would go to the Pentagon, to buy weapons, body armor and pay for increased death benefit for survivors of troops killed on duty.

The Senate bill would restore some money the House cut for foreign aid and State Department programs, and would provide 592 million dollars to build a US embassy in Baghdad.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Congress has previously approved 228 billion dollars for American military and reconstruction operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The latest bill would push the overall cost of combat and reconstruction efforts in the two countries, and the Pentagon's anti-terrorism operations worldwide past 300 billion dollars.

The money approved by the Senate Thursday is to last through Sept. 30, the end of the current 2005 financial year, and is not part of the 2.57-trillion-dollar budget plan for fiscal year 2006.

Source: Xinhua