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Most Americans Want Troops Out of Iraq
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Many adults in the United States believe their country should begin implementing an exit strategy in Iraq, according to a poll by Harris Interactive. 63 per cent of respondents think most U.S. troops should be brought home in the next year.
The coalition effort against Saddam Hussein's regime was launched in March 2003. At least 2,097 American soldiers have died during the military operation, and more than 15,500 troops have been injured.
Yesterday, Martin Dempsey—the U.S. armed forces general in charge of helping Iraq develop its own army—declared to CNN, "We are moving at a measured pace. (...) Progress is uneven. It's uneven across the country, it's uneven across units, it's uneven between the army and the police." 44 per cent of respondents believe the insurgents in Iraq are getting the upper hand, while 41 per cent think they are being contained by security forces.
Also yesterday, several Iraqi politicians met in Cairo and urged the U.S. government to provide a more precise proposal for the eventual withdrawal of coalition forces. Their final statement called for the implementation of "an immediate national program to rebuild the armed forces, (and) control the borders and the security situation."
Polling Data
Do you favour keeping a large number of U.S. troops in Iraq until there is a stable government there, or bringing most of our troops home in the next year?
Nov. 2005 | Aug. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | |
Keep troops | 35% | 36% | 33% |
Withdraw troops | 63% | 61% | 63% |
Not sure | 3% | 4% | 4% |
Do you believe the insurgents in Iraq are being contained by security forces, or are they getting the upper hand?
Nov. 2005 | Aug. 2005 | Jun. 2005 | |
Insurgents are being contained | 41% | 39% | 42% |
Insurgents hold upper hand | 44% | 50% | 41% |
Not sure | 14% | 11% | 18% |
Source: Harris Interactive
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,011 American adults, conducted from Nov. 8 to Nov. 13, 2005. Margin of error is 3 per cent.