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Britons Remain Opposed to Afghanistan Mission
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Public support for the military operation in Afghanistan remains low in Britain, according to a poll by Angus Reid Public Opinion. 56 per cent of respondents oppose the mission, and 56 per cent reject a plan to deploy an additional 500 soldiers in the next few weeks.
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 without evidence of his participation 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 1,525 soldiers—including 236 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 Nov. 30, British prime minister Gordon Brown outlined the plan for the additional deployment, adding, "As long as three quarters of the most serious terrorist plots against Britain have links to those Pakistan/Afghan border areas, we should be failing in our duty if we didn’t work with our allies to deal with the problem where it starts. (...) The safety of people on the streets of Britain requires us to deny al-Qaeda the space to operate across Pakistan and deny them the option of returning to operate in Afghanistan."
Polling Data
Overall, do you support or oppose the military operation involving UK soldiers in Afghanistan?
|
|
Nov. 2009 |
Oct. 2009 |
Jul. 2009 |
|
Support |
36% |
35% |
39% |
|
Oppose |
56% |
59% |
53% |
|
Not sure |
8% |
6% |
9% |
As you may know, Prime Minister Brown has outlined a plan to send 500 additional UK soldiers to Afghanistan in the next few weeks. From what you have seen, read or heard about this, do you support or oppose the Prime Minister’s plan?
|
Support |
35% |
|
Oppose |
56% |
|
Not sure |
9% |
Source: Angus Reid Public Opinion
Methodology: Online interviews with 2,004 British adults, conducted from Dec. 2 to Dec. 4, 2009. Margin of error is 2.2 per cent.
