45 per cent of Iraqis think attacks on occupying troops are justified

Patrick Cockburn reports in The Independent on an Iraqi Ministry of Defence poll, conducted in August, that shows strong support for resistance to the occupying forces is to be found in both Shi'ite and Sunni communities in Iraq. 45 percent of Iraqis consider attacks on occupying troops justified. 72 per cent feel no confidence in coalition forces, 67 per cent feel less secure due their their presence, and according to 43 per cent, conditions for peace and stability have gotten worse. Subtract the 20 per cent of the country's population that is in Kurdistan, where support for the coalition is very strong, and you are left with little backing for the occupation among Sunni and Shi'ite Arabs. Cockburn notes that social conditions probably play a role in these opinions: "Some 71 per cent of people do not get clean water, 70 per cent say their sewerage system does not work, 47 per cent are short of electricity and 40 per cent of southern Iraqis are unemployed."