Topline
Quinnipiac found that Americans are not satisfied with the U.S. military's frantic withdrawal from Afghanistan following a Taliban takeover one month ago. This despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans supported ending the two-decade-long war on Afghanistan last month.
This handout was provided by U.S. Central Command. It shows how U.S. Air Force loadmasters (pilots) load... [+] passengers on a C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan, August 24, 2021. U.S. Air Forces Europe and Africa via Getty Images
The Key Facts
Only 28% of U.S. adults said that a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan was the right decision, while 50% supported withdrawing some troops but not all and 15% favored leaving Afghanistan without any troops. Quinnipiac found that 69% of Americans, including 90% of Democrats, and 48%, of Republicans, believed ending the war on Afghanistan was the right move, aligning with other polls that show weariness from the 20-year conflict. Quinnipiac reported that 54% of Americans approved of the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan. The same percentage said the same thing to Pew Research Center in August, despite both polls being conducted after the Taliban had taken control of Afghanistan. This could be due to the war's less-than-triumphant ending, which included a deadly Kabul terror attacks and a chaotic mission by U.S. allies to evacuate Afghanistan. In addition, Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy said that 54% of Americans told Quinnipiac last month they approved of the decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistan. However, Quinnipiac says that Biden's job approval has fallen slightly to 38% to 38%. Quinnipiac polled 1,326 adults between Friday, Monday and its most recent poll.
Tangent
Quinnipiacs poll results varied greatly by party. 63% of Republicans supported withdrawing some but no all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, while 38% of Democrats supported it. Democrats (47%), however, were more likely to support pulling out all U.S. troops than Republicans (7%)
Surprising Fact
The number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan had dropped dramatically by the time President Joe Biden decided to withdraw in the spring. Five days prior to Biden's inauguration, the Pentagon reported that 2,500 troops had been deployed in Afghanistan. This was down from 12,000 a year ago and 100,000 during the 2009-2011 surge.
Big Number
27% According to Pew Research Center, this is the percentage of Americans who believe Biden did an outstanding or good job in handling Afghanistan in August. This poll also found that support for ending the war on Afghanistan was at 50%. Americans may be open to leaving Afghanistan, but not satisfied with the way it was handled.
Important Background
Biden had pledged earlier this year to pull all U.S. troops out of Afghanistan by Sept. 11. This would end the longest American war by the 20th anniversary the terrorist attack which drove the U.S. military from Afghanistan. The Taliban overpowered the U.S.-backed Afghan government forces earlier in the year and took control of Kabul's capital. After two weeks of American personnel guarding an airport in Taliban-run Kabul, the U.S. finally left August. This was to allow for a dangerous and frantic evacuation mission. Biden's handling of the withdrawal has been criticized harshly. Some military officials stated last week that they believe the United States should have kept troops in Afghanistan. Biden claims that his options were limited due to a deal with the Taliban and Trump last year on troop withdrawal. Officials from the Administration said that extending the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan could lead to hostilities with Taliban, forcing the Pentagon and the Pentagon to deploy additional troops and recommit themselves to a war Biden considered obsolete and unnecessary.
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Poll finds that even Democrats don't think Biden did a good job on Afghanistan withdrawal, according to polls (Forbes).
