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U.S. is Losing War on Terror, Say Americans
- Adults in the United States are divided in their assessment of the global effort to fight terrorism, according to a poll by SurveyUSA. 45 per cent of respondents believe the terrorists are winning. Conversely, 41 per cent think the U.S. is succeeding, and 15 per cent are not sure.
Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people. The war on terrorism was initiated in October 2001 after Afghanistan's Taliban regime refused to hand over al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi—regarded as the network's top commander in Iraq—was killed in an air strike on Jun. 8.
On Aug. 10, London's Metropolitan Police Service announced that more than 20 people had been arrested in connection with an alleged terrorist plot. According to the authorities, a group planned to destroy airplanes flying from Britain to the U.S. by detonating bombs manufactured with materials that could be brought on board as part of a passenger's carry-on luggage.
On Aug. 21, U.S. president George W. Bush discussed the situation, saying, "This is a global war on terror. We're facing extremists that believe something, and they want to achieve objectives. And therefore, the United States must use all our assets, and we must work with others to defeat this enemy. That's the call. And we—in the short run, we've got to stop them from attacking us."
Polling Data
Who is winning the war on terror? The United States? Or the terrorists?
Terrorists | 45% |
United States | 41% |
Not sure | 15% |
Source: SurveyUSA
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,200 American adults, conducted on Aug. 21 and Aug. 22, 2006. Margin of error is 2 per cent.
