Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) – British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced the end of a bloody offensive against the Taliban in Helmand province (southern Afghanistan), calling it a success. But a recent public opinion poll indicates that for most people in the United Kingdom the war in Afghanistan is “unwinnable”

In his announcement Mr Brown said the first phase in ‘Operation Panther’ was over; its goal was to secure large portions of the territory.

Now British troops are tasked with holding the ground and then bringing development to the province

Casualties from the operation were high, and the death toll for UK military personnel in Afghanistan since 2001 now stands at 191, higher than in Iraq.

Task Force Helmand Commander, Brigadier Tim Radford, also said that the operation was a success.

But British public opinion is increasingly disenchanted with the war.

A survey by the Independent newspaper between 24 and 26 July shows that for 58 per cent of respondents the offensive against the Taliban was a lost cause. Only 31 per cent said they were still in favour of continued military operations.

This is why the British have welcomed an agreement between Kabul and some Taliban groups to allow presidential elections next 20 August to go ahead.  

In Pakistan a truce with the Taliban was also reached but it was used by the latter to strengthen their stranglehold.

About 90,000 foreign troops are deployed in Afghanistan equipped with some of the latest weapon systems in the world, but still unable to subdue Islamic extremists who control entire regions.

In a speech at NATO headquarters in Brussels, but aimed mainly at the British public, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband, said that the “biggest shift must now be towards the Afghan state taking more responsibility.”

Experts suggest however that the main problem has not yet been tackled, namely building the basic infrastructures of democracy: schools, health care and social services.