They’re here for oil, but US troops well-mannered: NDTV’s Iraq poll

More than two out of three Iraqis — an overwhelming 67 per cent — believe the reason behind America’s war in Iraq is to gain control of its oil fields, according to an NDTV opinion poll in Baghdad. Only 23 per cent of the surveyed believed that the US wanted to liberate the country. Among the respondents, Muslims were more skeptical of the Americans than Christians (the poll sample had 12 per cent Christians), with 69 per cent Muslims thinking the war was all about oil. Fifty-six per cent of Christians suspected the America’s motives in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This suspicion of America’s motives is perhaps a reason why 52 per cent of Iraqis (in an earlier response to the poll) wanted the US to leave Iraq immediately. However, a clear majority — 53 per cent — felt that the American troops were behaving well with the people on the streets. The perception was strong among Iraqi women with 55 per cent feeling the US troops were well-mannered. Among men, the figure stood at 52 pc. The poll, billed as the first-ever opinion poll in the war-ravaged country in the last 25 years, had seen 668 men and 332 women take part in it. It was conducted on April 22 and 23 in 25 different locations in the Iraqi capital, according to NDTV.