The public overwhelmingly supports PM David Cameron’s decision to authorise the rescue attempt of British aid worker Linda Norgrove in Afghanistan, despite it resulting in the captive’s death, our poll shows.
- 69% of the population say that Cameron made the right decision by authorising US Special Forces’ attempt to free Linda Norgrove, compared to 12% who think it was the wrong move.
- 60% of the public hold the Taliban kidnappers to blame for Norgrove’s death, while just under a quarter (24%) hold the US Special Forces accountable.
British aid worker Linda Norgrove died last Friday evening as US Special Forces attempted to free her from Taliban captors in north-eastern Afghanistan. Initial reports suggested that Norgrove was killed at the hands of her kidnappers, possibly through the detonation of a suicide vest. However, Cameron revealed on Monday that new evidence suggests Norgrove may have died as the result of a grenade detonated by Special Forces during the rescue attempt.
Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC on Tuesday that there should be ‘no time limit’ on the UK/US investigation into the failed rescue bid, and that the length of the inquiry was ‘really up to investigators’. ‘We’re not interested so much in the timing, as in really finding out what happened and why,’ he said.