Only one in 10 Iraqis back forces

A secret survey of public opinion carried out by coalition commanders in Baghdad has found that only one in 10 Iraqis still support them.

The poll, commissioned by the Coalition Provisional Authority but not released, paints a far blacker picture than earlier assessments which were publicly disclosed.

More than nine in 10 Iraqis now view America and Britain as an occupying force and about 50 per cent think the country would be safer if they left immediately.

More than half were also convinced that US troops routinely indulged in the kind of abuse of prisoners seen at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.