Drop in support for war

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, OCT. 30. An emotional offensive by the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, today against the critics of the war in Afghanistan was overshadowed by contradictory signals from the political establishment and the military brass even as a new poll showed a drop in public support for continued military action.

A majority, according to the poll in The Guardian this morning, want a pause in the bombing to allow humanitarian relief to reach the people. ``It provides clear evidence that there has been a significant change in the mood of the country towards the war and explains why Ministers have spent the past weekend trying to shore up public opinion...,'' the newspaper said.

The media also highlighted the conflict between London and Washington over a bombing pause during Ramadan with the U.S. Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld, ruling it out, a day after the British Foreign Secretary, Mr. Jack Straw, said such a move was being considered. The Times said Mr. Rumsfeld's statement ``put him in direct conflict with London where senior Ministers and government officials have discussed the desirability of a temporary halt to hostilities.'' In another embarrassing development, two high-ranking British army officers contradicted official claims about the role of ground troops, earmarked for action in Afghanistan and their preparedness.

Rear Admiral James Burnell-Nugent, commander of a British task force committed to the U.S.-led coalition, triggered a controversy saying the role his personnel were expected to play was not clear. ``I do not think that it is clear in anyone's mind...That is the challenge,'' he was quoted as saying, contradicting the Defence Secretary, Mr. Geoff Hoon's claim that the Marines were ready to go ``immediately''. Another officer, Brigadier Roger Lane, voiced concern about the quality of intelligence on the ground. ``It's a concern...and that may limit exactly what we do,'' he told journalists in Oman. Mr. Hoon blamed the media for taking the remarks out of context and insisted that the Government and military brass were on the same wavelength, but critics seized on the army officers' comments to question the U.S.-led coalition's war aims and strategy.

A former Labour Armed Forces Minister, Mr. Doug Henderson, said there seemed to be no strategy, and the decision to commit British troops was ``partly a political act'' to show solidarity with the U.S. The intelligence on the ground, he claimed, was ``so flimsy'' that there was nothing specific for British personnel to do. He described the continued bombing as ``counter- productive'' which was likely to ``alienate'' even moderate Muslim opinion around the world. The novelist, Mr. Martin Amis, said Mr. Blair's defence of the war was ``hollow'' and questioned its direction. ``We are flailing,'' he said.

The Prime Minister, in a widely publicised speech in Wales today, made what one newspaper termed as an ``unashamedly emotional appeal'' to the critics of the war not to forget what happened in New York and Washington on September 11. ``It is important that we never forget why we have done this (launched military action), never forget how we felt as we watched planes fly into the trade towers, never forget those answer-phone messages, never forget how we imagined how mothers told their children they were going to die, never forget the firefighters and police who died trying to save others,'' he said ahead of yet another diplomatic mission to West Asia to bolster support for the coalition. But his appeal was pre-empted by The Guardian poll showing a 12-point drop in public support for the war in the past fortnight with 54 per cent favouring a pause in bombing. Mr. Robin Cook, leader of the Commons, dismissed the fall in support as ``tiny'' and said the majority were still behind it.

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