(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - People in the United States do not yet see a clear victor in the war on terrorism, according to a poll by Rasmussen Reports. 39 per cent of respondents think their country and its allies are winning the conflict, up three points since mid-July.

Conversely, 32 per cent of respondents think the terrorists are ahead, while 23 per cent say neither side is actually winning.

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.

At least 652 soldiers—including 423 Americans—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).

Earlier this month, the Associated Press uncovered documents showing American soldiers have been authorized to pursue terrorists beyond the Afghan-Pakistani border without previous authorization from Pakistan since at least 2004. Summaries of the rules of engagement in April 2004 show that chasing al-Qaeda leaders across the international boundary has been authorized.

The documents show that "hot pursuit" of al-Qaeda, Taliban and terrorist command-and-control targets "from AFG into Pakistan (must be continuous and uninterrupted)." Other rules said that this was permitted if the head of U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, approved direct action "against The Big 3," identified as Bin Laden; his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri; and Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, if and when the U.S. defence secretary approved such an incursion.

Pakistani military spokesman Waheed Arshad dismissed the documents, saying, "This is all nonsense. Pakistan never allowed the coalition forces to enter into our territory while chasing militants. There was no such agreement, there was no such understanding."

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