New Poll Says Majority of Iraqis Approve of Attacks on U.S. Forces

Sept. 27, 2006 — -- The Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland has conducted a poll on the war in Iraq.

Here are a few of the poll's findings:

Six in 10 Iraqis approve of attacks on U.S.-led forces, up from fewer than half in an earlier PIPA poll in January.

Nearly eight in 10 say the U.S. presence in Iraq is provoking more conflict than it's preventing (as opposed to being "a stabilizing force.")

Forty-seven percent say the country is headed in the right direction, down from 64 percent in January.

Sixty-three percent say the Maliki government is doing a good job (17 percent "very good.")

Most have confidence in the Iraqi army (64 percent) and police (71 percent) to protect their security. More than eight in 10 lack such confidence in U.S. troops.

Thirty-seven percent want U.S. troops to withdraw within six months; an additional 34 percent want them to withdraw within the next year.

Fifty-three percent are confident that Iraqi security forces will be strong enough to deal with security challenges in six months, up 14 points since January.