Forty-five percent of Iraqis support attacks on US and British troops in the country, the Sunday Telegraph reported Sunday, citing a secret poll commissioned by the British Defense Ministry.

The poll shows that fewer than 1 percent think foreign military involvement is helping to improve security in their country.

"It demonstrates for the first time the true strength of anti-Western feeling in Iraq after more than two and a half years of bloody occupation," the paper said.

"The nationwide survey also suggests that the coalition has lost the battle to win the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, which (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair and (US President) George W. Bush believed was fundamental to creating a safe and secure country," the paper added.

The survey, conducted by an Iraqi university research team, also found that 82 percent of the respondents are "strongly opposed" to the presence of coalition troops; 67 percent feel less secure because of the occupation; 43 percent believe conditions for peace and stability have worsened; and 72 percent do not have confidence in the multinational forces.

The opinion poll, conducted in August, also "debunks claims by both the US and British governments that the general well-being of the average Iraqi is improving in post-Saddam Iraq," the paper said.

Source: Xinhua