LONDON - Half of Britons think it is okay to target civilians in war, according to a survey commissioned by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The finding comes at a time when Britain is engaged in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, where locals have often accused foreign troops of excessive use of force and of sometimes killing civilians indiscriminately.

The survey, conducted by polling group ICM on behalf of the ICRC, asked 1,000 people if military engagement should be limited to targeting combatants only, with civilians left completely alone. Only 51 percent of respondents agreed.

In 1999, before the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, 72 percent of those quizzed in a similar poll said civilians were off limits.

"The ICRC hopes that this research will inspire debate on the humanitarian aspects of war and particularly a focus on the men, women and children who become the victims of such wars," the Geneva-based organisation said in a statement.

The Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts have been largely unpopular with the British public since they began. The survey appeared to reflect that sentiment, with 72 percent of those polled saying they considered world events "to be going in the wrong direction".

In 1999, the figure was 55 percent.

The British public also had strong views on the use of weapons in conflict, with the vast majority (84 percent) believing chemical and biological weapons should never be used, and four-fifths saying the same for nuclear weapons.

One area in which Britons were very clear in their opinion was in the treatment of prisoners of war.

Four-fifths of respondents said PoWs should not be subjected to torture, even if it was to obtain important military information, and that the authorities should allow prisoners to be visited by an independent organisation.

Former prisoners have accused the United States of using "extraordinary rendition" to take "enemy combatants" to third countries where they were tortured for information.

Washington denies using torture or handing over prisoners to countries that practise it, although it has acknowledged holding suspects overseas.