Poll Finds U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Overwhelmingly Favor Withdrawal Within a Year

Interview with Kelly Dougherty, cofounder of Iraq Veterans Against the War, conducted by Scott Harris

Two weeks after the bombing of one of Shiite Islam's most holy shrines in Iraq, sectarian violence continues to claim victims across the country. Although Iraq has not yet descended into all-out civil war, religious polarization is evident in the make up of the country's police, where credible allegations indicate these forces are engaged in death squad activity and torture.

Despite the increasing violence, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Peter Pace did his best to place a positive spin on the news from Iraq. On NBC's "Meet the Press" program March 5, General Pace said that the war is going in the right direction, a view the majority of Americans strongly disagree with.

As the third anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq approaches a new poll of American soldiers serving in Iraq reveals that most favor a rapid withdrawal from the embattled country. A Le Moyne College/Zogby International survey conducted Jan. 18 through Feb. 14, found 72 percent think the U.S. should exit the country within the next year, and more than one in four say the troops should leave immediately. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with Kelly Dougherty, co-founder of Iraq Veterans against the War, who served eight years in the Colorado Army National Guard as a medic and MP, including a year in Iraq and eight months in the Balkans. She analyzes the opinions held by American soldiers found in the Zogby poll.

Contact Iraq Veterans Against the War by calling (215) 241-7123 or visit their website at www.ivaw.net

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