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Deaths Leave US Public Weary
Nadeem
01/31/05 at 09:01:31
Deaths leave US public weary

In the wake of today's helicopter crash, support for the ongoing action in Iraq is beginning to wear thin, says Ewen MacAskill

Wednesday January 26, 2005

The US today suffered its biggest loss of life in Iraq since embarking on the war in March 2003.
Even though the Pentagon indicated that the crash of the helicopter carrying 32 marines was due to bad weather rather than enemy action, it will have political consequences.

During the invasion of Iraq and for months afterwards, support among the US public remained strong. Polls showed that many Americans saw Iraq as part of the US 'war on terror' and believed that there had been a link between Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida.

But the US public is less sanguine now. Families of soldiers in Iraq have been protesting about their continued presence there and some have been campaigning for their return. There is also a public debate underway in Washington - at least outside of the administration - on the pluses and minuses of remaining in Iraq. Figures such as Brent Scowcroft, the former US national security adviser, and many others involved in either formulation or study of foreign policy have been questioning whether the presence of US and other international troops attracts insurgency.

The last poll in the Washington Post showed the once strong majorities in favour of the war have long gone. The poll had 58% registering disapproval for the war against 40% approval. A high death toll, such as today's, can sometimes galvanise opinion behind a war but the conflict has been going on for so long now it is more likely to confirm the sense of weariness showing up in the polls.

The same Washington Post poll also showed that six out of ten Americans canvassed said they did not think Sunday's election would bring stability. That view was shared today by the Israeli defence minister, Shaul Mofaz, who predicted, during a visit to London, that the violence would continue after the election.

The insurgents, after a relatively quiet day on Tuesday, carried out a string of attacks today, including six car bombs and a mortar attack on a police station.

The US command in Iraq also reported that at least six bombs had been uncovered in various locations, including in Najaf, the Shia holy city where the turn-out is expected to be high on Sunday. The insurgents are mainly Sunnis trying to impose a boycott by intimidating people from turning out and threatening polling centres, candidates and voters. Two schools to be used as polling stations were bombed overnight, and a bomb found in a third school was defused.

- Ewen MacAskil is the Guardian's diplomatic editor

Source: [url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1399095,00.html]Guardian[/url]


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