Afghanistan war support reaches new low among Americans in Associated Press-GfK poll

A U.S. soldier stops Afghan women from walking toward the vicinity of the governor's compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan, April 28, 2012. / AFP/Getty Images

(AP) WASHINGTON - Support for the war in Afghanistan has reached a new low, with only 27 percent of Americans saying they back the effort and about half of those who oppose the war saying the continued presence of American troops in Afghanistan is doing more harm than good, according to an AP-GfK poll.

In results released Wednesday, 66 percent opposed the war, with 40 percent saying they were "strongly" opposed. A year ago, 37 percent favored the war, and in the spring of 2010, support was at 46 percent. Eight percent strongly supported the war in the new poll.

The poll found that far fewer people than last year think the killing of Osama bin Laden by U.S. troops increased the threat of terrorism against Americans. Overall, 27 percent say the al Qaeda leader's death resulted in an increased terror threat, 31 percent believe his death decreased the threat of terrorism and 38 percent say it has had no effect. The poll was conducted before the revelation this week of a recent al Qaeda plot to blow up a U.S.-bound airliner with an underwear bomb.

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Chris Solomon, an independent from Fuquay-Varina, N.C., is among the respondents who strongly oppose the war. He said the military mission has reached the limits of its ability to help Afghans or make Americans any safer, and he would close down the war immediately if he could. While the rationale for the war is to fight al Qaeda, most of the day-to-day combat is against an entrenched Taliban insurgency that will outlast the foreign fighters, he said.

"What are we really doing there? Who are we helping?" he said in an interview.

Yet nearly half, 48 percent, said the continued presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is doing more to help Afghanistan become a stable democracy, while 36 percent said the opposite and 14 percent said they didn't know. Among those opposed to the war, 49 percent say U.S. troops are hurting more than helping. Three-quarters of those who favor the war think they are doing more to help.

Republicans are most apt to see U.S. forces as helping, with 56 percent saying so, followed by 47 percent of Democrats. Among independents, more say troops are hurting Afghanistan's efforts to become a stable democracy (43 percent) than helping (32 percent).

President Obama has promised to keep fighting forces in Afghanistan until the end of 2014, despite the declining popular support. The effort to hand off primary responsibility for fighting the war to Afghan soldiers will be the main focus of a gathering of NATO leaders that Mr. Obama will host later this month in Chicago.

That shift away from front-line combat is expected to come next year, largely in response to growing opposition to the war in the United States and among NATO allies fighting alongside about 88,000 U.S. forces. The shift makes some military commanders uneasy, as does any suggestion that the U.S. fighting force be cut rapidly next year. Mr. Obama has promised a steady drawdown.

Mr. Obama acknowledged the rising frustration during a surprise visit to Afghanistan last week. He signed a 10-year security pact with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and congratulated U.S. troops on the anniversary of bin Laden's death. He told troops that he is ending the war but that more of their friends will die before it is over.

"I recognize that many Americans are tired of war," he said then. "I will not keep Americans in harm's way a single day longer than is absolutely required for our national security. But we must finish the job we started in Afghanistan and end this war responsibly."

As of Tuesday, at least 1,834 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count.

Mr. Obama has argued that his persistence in hunting down bin Laden is one reason to re-elect him, and his on-time handling of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is another.

Mr. Obama closed down the Iraq war on the timetable set when he took office and expanded the Afghan fight that had been neglected in favor of Iraq. He is now scaling back in Afghanistan, bringing troops home by the tens of thousands. A small U.S. counterterrorism and training force may remain in the country after 2014.

But in a trend that complicates discussion of the war in this year's presidential campaign, support for the war is plummeting even among Republicans. People who identified themselves as Republicans backed the war at 37 percent, down from 58 percent a year ago.

Among Democrats, support dropped from 30 percent last year to 19 percent now. About a quarter, 27 percent, of independents favor the effort, similar to the level last year.

The war, which will be in its 12th year on Election Day in November, has an inconclusive balance sheet at best.

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[RCRawlings]

So is Obama at an all time low with Americans.
Gallup just refuses to tell us exactly how low.

[smittyc]

Our President is a LIAR. We are fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, not Al Queada or the terrorist of 911. We are also fighting the Pushtan tribe which is in both Afghanistan and Pakistan and holds leadership positions in both nations governments. Bin Laden is dead, Al Queada are in hiding or dead. The only thing occurring in Afghanistan is displacement and flight of hundreds of thousands of Afghan villagers due to the fighting between the Americans and Taliban. The Afghan people now view the Nato forces as invaders and Karzai as a traiter. There is no way we can win the war as we are currently fighting it.

[wfw3536]

And Obama signs us up for another 10 years when we should be out of there today. Obama was elected partly because of his stand on Iraq, and now he is commiting us to 10 more years. This will hurt him as folks are tired of this war.

[AOCGUY]

I am opposed to any further US presence in Afghanistan but Candidate Obama's position on Iraq has nothing to do with Afghanistan.

[vernique3]

The industrial/military corporations needs this war to keep them in the 1% income group so it doesn't matter what the American people think.

[dtravisj]

hello

[chipshirley]

Afghan Women Can Vote-If We Leave They Don't:
http://thedixiedove.com/
The women of Afghanistan now have rights they have never had before in history. The right to representation has been a man only game there. That is the main thing that has changed.

So to the Left and Right who are slamming the president on this issue, there are rights to be upheld and there are debts to be payed. Colon Powell was right 'if you break it you bought it'. President Obama didn't 'buy' Afghanistan, but he owns it now.

And if you look at the faces of the little girls of Afghanistan and think, if we pull out of town and in comes the Taliban right behind us, that is unacceptable.

The Green Revolution in Afghanistan is ongoing every day, as we don't see the people demanding the US leave and they overthrow of the government. They are poised for progress.

If the Taliban would enter into a brokered convention, allowing for them to run candidates and win elections, for all to vote and an open slate. That would be the ideal outcome.

[AOCGUY]

So chip, how long do we stay? How many more Americans must die? How much more money should we throw at this effort? You say that if the Taliban would enter a brokered covention then that would be OK, but what if they win? Then aren't we back to what you don't want to happen? I feel for the people in every country where they are oppressed but we can't fix it.

[smittyc]

There is some truth to your statement, but it was done with a gun to the head of those involved. It will change back the second NATO pulls out just like every fort and village we have pulled out of has been taken back by the Taliban. Every single one. Kabul is the only place that the Afghanistan gov controls and that is questionable. The reality of Islam is we cannot even control the honor killings that occur here in our own country, the United States. Our elected leaders need to wake up.

[credibility2]

The U.S. shouldn't waste any additional taxpayer money or lives on a culture that is barbaric, uncivilized and hasn't any intention of improving itself or becoming democratized and enlightened. Afghanistan has vast minerals they refuse to mine and develop. It's estimated that the value exceeds one trillion dollars. They'd rather live in caves and huts.

[rightbehind]

The Chinese were pumping the oil in Iraq before the shrub left office. When were the republicans going to tell us?

[44wonder]

What a stupid comment..

[rightbehind]

It's a fact. More than 5000 US troops lives lost. More than 30000 wounded. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis dead. The Chinese were pumping the oil before the shrub left office. I would say it a very relative comment. The families that have lost loved one deserve answers. They need only to look to the republicans for answers. It was their war.