Poll: Half of Americans Say Afghanistan War Was a Mistake a Year After Withdrawal

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – A year after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, American society remains sharply divided over whether sending troops there in 2001 was the right decision, according to a Gallup poll out Tuesday.

"One year after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, 50% of Americans say the US made a mistake in sending troops to the country, while 46% say it did not," the poll said.

The close disparity in views is similar to two other polls conducted last year just before and after the withdrawal, it added.

As many as 58% of Democrats and 53% of independent voters think that the war in Afghanistan was a mistake, while only 37% of Republicans share such opinion. The results are quite close to poll readings over the past 20 years. However, in 2021 only every fourth Republican said that sending troops to Afghanistan was a mistake.

The poll was conducted from August 1-23, 2022 among 1,006 adults in all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. The margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

The Taliban* (under UN sanctions for terrorism) took power in Afghanistan in August of 2021, triggering the collapse of the US-backed government and accelerating American troop pullout. On August 31, 2021, US forces completed their withdrawal from the country, ending the 20-year-long military presence.

*The Taliban* is under UN sanctions for terrorism.