US puiblic opinion shifts on Iraq 'surge'

US public opinion shifts on Iraq 'surge'

By Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
updated 5:12 a.m. ET, Wed., Nov. 28, 2007

US public opinion on military progress in Iraq has improved sharply since the troops "surge" started in February but a majority of Americans still want soldiers brought home, according to a new poll.

Some 48 per cent of Americans now believe that the US ­military effort in Iraq is going well, compared with 30 per cent in February, according to the latest poll by the Pew Research Center.

But the poll found that the "rosier view of the military situation in Iraq has not translated into increased support for maintaining US forces in Iraq". Some 54 per cent of Americans want the Pentagon to bring troops home, compared with 53 per cent in February.
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The improved public perception coincides with the military's reporting of a significant decline in attacks against it, particularly since June when the five combat brigades that made up the surge had arrived. While 575 US soldiers lost their lives in the first half of 2007, the total since the beginning of July is fewer than 300.

The number of Iraqi deaths has also dropped ­significantly, although some critics suggest the data do not take into account violence in the south, where the US does not have a large military presence.

The military argues that improved security, which has been helped by local groups opposing insurgents across Iraq, has paved the way for a decrease in US forces, which has just started as part of a winding down of the surge over the next seven months.

The Pentagon has not decided whether it will continue to reduce numbers beyond the 130,000 or so troops who will remain after the surge.

But the Pew poll shows the improvement in Iraq has not increased the domestic appetite for the war. The number of respondents who believe the US will succeed in Iraq has risen from 47 per cent in February to 48 per cent now.

The improved perception of the situation in Iraq has also not translated into increased support for President George W. Bush, whose approval rating has dropped 3 percentage points from February to 30 per cent.

● About 800 Iraqis left Syria for Baghdad on Tuesday on an Iraqi government-sponsored convoy amid a media ­fanfare as the regime sought to draw attention to improving security at home.

During the past month more Iraqis have returned than fled. It is the first time that has happened since the war began in 2003.

Baghdad announced that 46,000 refugees returned last month because of improved security following the US troops surge. Syrian immigration sources say 60,000 Iraqis have gone back since October.

While the government claimed that improved security was drawing refugees home, many Iraqis said they were returning because they had no more money and their visas had expired.
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