Poll: UK public sees the Afghan war as unwinnable

[July 28, 2009]  LONDON (AP) -- A majority of people in Britain see the Afghan war as impossible to win, according to a new poll taken amid steeply rising casualties and growing government emphasis on finding a political solution to the conflict.

More than half of those questioned by pollster ComRes -- 52 percent -- said British troops should be pulled out of Afghanistan right away, while 43 percent thought they should stay. Fifty-eight percent of respondents viewed the war as unwinnable, while only 31 percent thought it could be won.

The poll of more than 1,000 people conducted last week was published in Tuesday's Independent newspaper. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

A total of 191 British personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

Twenty-two have been killed this month, about half in Operation Panther's Claw, a major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand Province. The recent deaths have ignited a debate in Britain about its role in the war and the quality of its military equipment.

The Conservative opposition has lashed out at Prime Minister Gordon Brown's Labor government for allegedly underfunding Britain's 9,000-strong contingent and not providing sufficient helicopters or armored vehicles. The government has dismissed those accusations, saying its forces are properly equipped.

The bodies of four soldiers killed in the recent fighting were flown back to an air force base in the southwestern English town of Lyneham. Hundreds of veterans, shopkeepers and residents are expected to line the streets of the nearby town of Wootton Bassett to see the coffins and pay their respects.

There has been a major government effort to shore up support for the war.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband told NATO allies on Monday that military power alone could not win the war -- and that efforts must be made to talk to the Taliban.

In a speech at NATO's headquarters in Brussels, Miliband said while hard-line fundamentalists committed to global terrorism must be pursued relentlessly, the rank-and-file Taliban should be given the opportunity "to leave the path of confrontation with the government."

The Afghan campaign has divided British opinion. A poll published earlier this month in The Guardian newspaper showed 47 percent of the public supported the war and 46 percent opposed it.

The poll asked different questions than the ComRes survey and is not directly comparable.

[Associated Press]

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