Panetta says polls cannot dictate Afghan war plans

OTTAWA: US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday a poll showing a big drop in public support for the war inAfghanistan would not alterWashington's strategy, or efforts to battle Al-Qaeda.

"We cannot fight wars by polls -- if we do that, we're in deep trouble. We have to operate based on what we believe is the best strategy to achieve the mission that we have embarked on," Panetta told reporters.

He said the objective of theUnited Statesand NATO was "to safeguard a country by ensuring that the Taliban and Al Qaeda never again find a safe haven inAfghanistan," he explained, recalling the attacks ofSeptember 11, 2001.

"We've been through 10 years of war in theUnited Statesand there's no question that the American people are tired of war, just as the Afghans are tired of war, and yet I think the American people understand why we're engaged inAfghanistan," he added.

A New York Times/CBS poll published Monday showed support for the war inAfghanistanhad dropped sharply among Americans: 69 percent of those polled thought that theUnited Statesshould not be at war inAfghanistan, from 53 percent four months ago.

Recent setbacks include violence set off by the burning last month of Korans by American troops and the alleged killing of 17 Afghan civilians by aUSsoldier, as well as killings of American troops by their Afghan partners.

Those incidents perhaps fueled the opinions of 68 percent of respondents who thought the fighting was going "somewhat badly" or "very badly," compared to 42 percent who said they had that impression in November.

Panetta spoke inOttawaafter meeting with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts on strengthening security ties, including anti-drug efforts, disaster relief and humanitarian aid.