(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe the U.S. will not be able to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 54 per cent of respondents believe this scenario is unlikely.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe the U.S. will not be able to capture or kill Osama bin Laden, according to a poll by Opinion Research Corporation released by CNN. 54 per cent of respondents believe this scenario is unlikely.
Only three per cent of respondents believe bin Laden is already dead.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. In July 2004, the federal commission that investigated the events of 9/11 concluded that "none of the measures adopted by the U.S. government from 1998 to 2001 disturbed or even delayed the progress of the al-Qaeda plot" and pointed out government failures of "imagination, policy, capabilities, and management."
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. In October 2001, then U.S. president George W. Bush ordered the invasion of Afghanistan, claiming that there would be "no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbour them." The conflict began after the Taliban regime refused to hand over bin Laden without evidence of his participation in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Bin Laden has not been seen publicly since 2001, appearing only in several purportedly authentic video and audiotapes. Earlier this month, Taliban commander and Pashtun warlord Sirajuddin Haqqani declared: "It has been a long time since I lost contact with al-Qaeda’s leader, but I know he is still alive and leading al-Qaeda combatants against foreign forces."
Polling Data
How likely is it that the U.S. will be able to capture or kill Osama bin Laden: very likely, somewhat likely, not too likely, or not at all likely?
|
Apr. 2009 |
Sept. 2008 |
Aug. 2007 |
|
|
Very likely |
11% |
15% |
10% |
|
Somewhat likely |
32% |
34% |
32% |
|
Not too likely |
33% |
30% |
32% |
|
Not at all likely |
21% |
19% |
22% |
|
Already dead |
3% |
2% |
1% |
Source: Opinion Research Corporation / CNN
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,023 American adults, conducted from Apr. 3 to Apr. 5, 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.
