Iraqi poll shock hits US, UK

23/10/2005 08:17 - (SA)

London - A British newspaper reported on Saturday that an opinion poll shows 45% of Iraqis believe attacks against American and British troops are justified.

The study was commissioned by Britain's ministry of defence and reveals that fewer than one percent of Iraqis believe US-led coalition forces have helped improved security in Iraq, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

A spokesperson for the Mministry of defence had no immediate comment on the report, which appeared in early editions of the paper published late Saturday.

He declined to comment on whether the ministry had commissioned the poll. He spoke on condition of anonymity, as is customary with British government officials.

The study was conducted by an Iraqi university research team, The Sunday Telegraph reported, without identifying the university. The paper didn't say how many people were questioned or give a margin of error.

But it reported that the survey showed 82% of Iraqis "strongly opposed" the presence of coalition troops in their country and 67% felt less secure because of the US-led occupation.

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