Washington: American opinion appears to be
turning against the war in Afghanistan, with a poll revealing
today that a majority believe it was not worth fighting and
just one-fourth in favour of sending more troops to the
country.
The Washington Post-ABC News polls showed that among all
adults, 51 per cent say the war is not worth fighting, up six
percentage points since last month and 10 since March.
Less than half, 47 per cent, say the war is worth its
costs while those strongly opposed (41 per cent) outweigh
strong proponents (31 per cent), the poll said.
The survey results, that come as Afghanistan went to
polls today, show the support was declining in the US for the
war President Barack Obama has defended.
However, 60 per cent of the Americans approve of how
Obama has handled the situation in Afghanistan, according to
the opinion poll.
Most of the Americans, the poll said, have confidence in
the ability of the US to meet its primary goals of defeating
the Taliban, facilitating economic development, and molding an
honest and effective Afghan government, but few believe the
Afghan elections are likely to produce such a government.
When it comes to the baseline question, 42 per cent of
Americans say the US is winning in Afghanistan while about 36
per cent, say it is losing, The Washington Post said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Thursday, August 20, 2009, 13:29