Shrinking support for Afghan war at odds with troops: Newspoll
* Patrick Walters, National security editor * From: The Australian * March 24, 2009 12:02AM
Limbaugh: "We have the approval of our allies. We have the approval of the UK. We have the approval of the Australians. Do we want the approval of the Chinese? Do we want the approval of Kim Jong Il."
NEARLY two-thirds of Australian voters now oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan as Kevin Rudd faces US pressure to send extra military to fight the Taliban.
The latest Newspoll, taken on the eve of the Prime Minister's crucial visit to Washington, found that only 28 per cent of voters were in favour of reinforcing Australia's 1100-strong military presence in Afghanistan.
The dwindling support for the Afghanistan war stands in stark contrast to the strong support the UN-backed intervention enjoyed in the immediate aftermath of September 11, 2001, when two-thirds of Australians supported sending troops. The poll presents a dilemma for Mr Rudd, who has always maintained that fighting the Taliban and hunting Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan should be Australia's priority ahead of the Iraq campaign. From Opposition Mr Rudd argued that the Howard government should send more troops to Afghanistan when it was trying to reduce Australia's military involvement in the region.
Related Coverage .. * Afghan bungles justify surge, claims Obama The Australian, 28 Jul 2010 .. * War brings no return Courier Mail, 28 Jan 2010 ..* Rudd endorses Obama Afghan surge Herald Sun, 2 Dec 2009 .. * France, Germany refuse troop appeal Adelaide Now, 1 Dec 2009 .. * Obama to push Rudd for more troops The Australian, 29 Nov 2009 .. links inside.
The majority view of Australia's involvement in Afghanistan is also at odds with that of the soldiers who are keen to join the conflict.
Corporal Nicole Spohn, who is leaving behind her husband and children, aged 3 and 1, said she was "excited and nervous".
"It's why we join the forces," she said. "There's no use pretending otherwise."
Major Cath Penski, who has been in the army for 26 years, said her pending departure for Afghanistan had added a sharp edge to the recent news of Australian casualties.
"In the past, you get that kind of bad news and it is sad, but when you are actually going yourself you do hear it differently," she said.
The Newspoll trend parallels Newspolls taken on Iraq from 2003 to 2007, which also showed a big drop in voter support as the conflict dragged on.
By late 2006 Newspoll found only 22 per cent of Australians felt it was worth going to war in Iraq, compared with 27 per cent in December 2005 and 46 per cent in February 2004.
The diminishing public support for bolstering the Afghanistan campaign comes as the Rudd Government and its NATO allies face unpalatable choices in the face of a growing Taliban-led insurgency.
Washington will boost its troop numbers by 17,000 in the next few months and is actively seeking more help from its close allies for a long counter-insurgency campaign.
Mr Rudd will meet Barack Obama tomorrow (AEDT) at the White House and the two leaders will have a detailed discussion on the way ahead in Afghanistan.
Mr Rudd could flag a modest increase in Australian troop levels in the run-up to Afghanistan's presidential election in August.
Senior government sources say that Mr Rudd could offer up to two additional army teams to train Afghan troops as well as a 150-strong infantry combat team to help with security in the run-up to the election.
This would result in a lift in Australia's overall military commitment to Afghanistan to about 1500 defence personnel, including 1200 army troops.
The Rudd Government is also examining options for boosting civil aid to Afghanistan, including extra money to help the Kabul Government with the running of the presidential poll.
Malcolm Turnbull last night on the Prime Minister to spell out the future mission for Australia's military in Afghanistan should a troop increase occur.
"We in the Coalition will not make partisan politics over Afghanistan as Labor did on Iraq," the Opposition Leader said.
"But the brave Australian forces serving in our uniform and confronting daily one of the world's most dangerous enemies, are entitled to a full explanation of the strategic reasoning for any expansion of their mission."
The latest Newspoll comes in the wake of two Australian combat deaths in Oruzgan province last week, taking to 10 the number of Diggers killed in the Afghanistan war since 2002.
Newspoll found 65 per cent of voters were against sending more troops if the Obama administration made a formal request.
A total of 42 per cent of those polled were strongly against and 23 per cent somewhat against. Of the 28 per cent in favour of sending more troops, 12 per cent were strongly in favour and 16 per cent somewhat in favour.
Women (74 per cent) easily outnumbered men (55 per cent) in opposing troop reinforcements.
Labor voters were also more inclined to oppose troop increases, with 65 per cent against compared with 55 per cent for Coalition supporters.
In a Newspoll conducted in 2001, 66 per cent of voters were in favour of sending troops to war in Afghanistan compared with 27 per cent against.
Mr Obama is expected to spell out the way ahead in Afghanistan early next month after the completion of a major strategic policy review on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Mr Rudd signalled last week he preferred to hold the line on Australia's troop commitment, saying there were "real problems" with the NATO-led coalition's strategy for winning the fight against the Taliban.
But the Prime Minister acknowledged the Government would consider any new US proposal for extra troops.
The Obama administration is drawing up a detailed counter-insurgency plan for Afghanistan that will involve both a boost in coalition forces and the Afghan army and police, together with a major focus on civil aid efforts across the country.
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