With the war in Afghanistan now overtaking the Vietnam War as the longest conflict in America’s history, a new YouGov survey reveals that the majority of Americans would support drawing US involvement to a close and bringing the troops back home.
The results show that if President Trump were to announce that he was ordering the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan he would have the support of 61% of Americans. A parallel survey of current and former armed forces personnel found that such a move would be even more popular, with 69% in support.
By contrast only 20-21% in both groups would oppose the withdrawal.
More than 17 years into the conflict few believe that US military involvement in the nation has been a success. Just 22% of the Americans, and 24% of current and former service personnel, say the mission in Afghanistan has been successful. A further 31-33% say it has been neither successful nor unsuccessful, while 37% of the public and 40% of veterans say that it has been unsuccessful.
