UK poll: Afghan war is 'unwinnable'

UK poll: Afghan war is 'unwinnable'

Publication time: 3 August 2009, 01:41

Most Britons believe the war in Afghanistan is "unwinnable" and want troops pulled out, according to a newspaper opinion poll.

Fifty-eight per cent see the offensive against the Taliban as a lost cause, while 52 per cent want the troops withdrawn from Afghanistan, the poll commissioned by the Independent indicated.

The ComRes telephone poll of 1,008 Britons, which was conducted between July 24 and 26, came as the bodies of four British soldiers were flown home to a UK airbase on Tuesday.

The troops were among 22 UK soldiers killed in Afghanistan this month, bringing the total number of service personnel to have died in the conflict since 2001 to 191.

Lacking equipment

About 75 per cent believe British troops lack the equipment they need to perform their role in Afghanistan safely, compared to 16 per cent who think they have adequate resources, the poll said.

However, 60 per cent of those polled do not think more troops and resources should be sent to the front line.
Britain announced on Monday the end of a major offensive against the Taliban in the south of Afghanistan entitled operation "Panther's Claw".

Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, who has been forced to defend the country's Afghan policies as troop casualties soar, said the operation had been a success.

Source: Aljazeera