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War in Afghanistan Rejected in Britain
- Many Britons are against their country's participation in the war on terrorism, according to a poll by ICM research released by the BBC. 53 per cent of respondents oppose the British military operation in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has been the main battleground in the war on terrorism. The conflict began in October 2001, after the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, prime suspect in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. Al-Qaeda operatives hijacked and crashed four airplanes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing nearly 3,000 people.
Britain committed troops to both the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and the U.S.-led coalition effort in Iraq. At least 480 soldiers—including 40 Britons—have died in the war on terrorism, either in support of the U.S.-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
On Sept. 26, British prime minister Tony Blair ruled out the end of Britain's participation in the war on terrorism, adding, "If we retreat now, hand Iraq over to al-Qaeda and sectarian death squads and Afghanistan back to al-Qaeda and the Taliban, we won't be safer; we will be committing a craven act of surrender that will put our future security in the deepest peril."
On Oct. 1, Conservative party leader David Cameron said he would maintain Blair's policies in Afghanistan an Iraq, adding, "People should know that where the national interest is at stake we believe in being the loyal opposition."
Polling Data
Do you support or oppose the British military operation in Afghanistan?
Support | 31% |
Oppose | 53% |
Refused | 3% |
Don't know | 14% |
Source: ICM Research / BBC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,011 British adults, conducted from Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, 2006. No margin of error was provided.