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French Oppose Commitment to Afghan Mission

April 16, 2008

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many adults in France believe their country should not deploy more soldiers to Afghanistan, according to a poll by Ifop. 55 per cent of respondents oppose the government’s additional military engagement in the country.

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.

France committed troops to the war on terrorism in Afghanistan. At least 783 soldiers—including 12 French—have died in the conflict, either in support of the United States-led Operation Enduring Freedom or as part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

In May 2007, Nicolas Sarkozy, candidate for the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and former interior minister, won the presidential run-off with 53.06 per cent of the vote. Sarkozy appointed François Fillon—who had been his adviser and presidential campaign leader—as prime minister.

On Apr. 11, French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner discussed the new deployment, saying, "I cannot give you an exact figure because the military must make their own decision, but I can tell you that about 3,000 French troops will be placed in Afghanistan. (...) The decision is the will of the president, and was not spontaneous."

Polling Data

France has decided to renew its engagement in Afghanistan by sending several hundreds of additional soldiers, as part of the international operation that involves 40 different countries. Do you support or oppose this additional military engagement in Afghanistan?

Support

45%

Oppose

55%

Source: Ifop
Methodology: Telephone interviews to 1,004 French adults, conducted on Apr. 3 and Apr. 4, 2008. No margin of error was provided.