(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Despite thinking the mission has not advanced all too well, most people in the Netherlands still favour their country's military engagement in Afghanistan, according to a poll by Maurice de Hond. 54 per cent of respondents support the mission, but only 31 per cent believe it has proceeded successfully.

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.

The Netherlands committed troops to the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. At least 610 soldiers—including eight Dutch—have died in the conflict, 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).

In January 2006, the Dutch cabinet agreed to send more soldiers to Afghanistan. The troops joined a NATO peacekeeping mission in southern Afghanistan. The Netherlands currently has 1,400 troops in Uruzgan as part of a two-year commitment, which is due to expire in August 2008. The United States and NATO have urged Dutch lawmakers to extend their commitment further.

On Jun. 11, Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper said he hopes the Dutch government will extend its Afghan mission so their soldiers can continue to collaborate with Canadian troops in the field. Harper said following a meeting with Dutch minister president Jan Peter Balkenende: "I obviously will not pressure the prime minister in public, but just to say that we have valued tremendously the cooperation with the Netherlands in southern Afghanistan." 51 per cent of respondents think the Dutch mission should not be extended.

On Jun. 22, the Dutch government decided to extend its military involvement in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until the end of January 2008. The administration also extended the Dutch contribution to a NATO training mission for Iraqi security officers to mid-February 2008, as well as to a European Union (EU) force in Bosnia until June 2008. The cabinet is expected to decide whether to extend the Afghan mission in August.

Polling Data

Do you support the Dutch mission in Afghanistan?

The cabinet must soon decide if the Dutch military mission must be extended or not. Do you agree or disagree with extending the military mission in Uruzgan?

Do you think the mission has proceeded successfully?

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