Poll reveals two thirds of Americans didn’t think Afghanistan was worth fighting for

A new poll reveals that two-thirds of Americans do not think that the 20-year war in Afghanistan was worth fighting.

It also found that 47 per cent of Americans approve of Joe Biden’s handling of international affairs, while 52 per cent approve of the president on national security.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs poll was carried out between 12 August and 16 August as the Taliban swept into power in the country and the US ramped up its departure from Kabul.

Mr Biden has defended US actions in the face of chaotic scenes on the ground in Kabul as the US brings to an end its two decades in the country.

Mark Sohl, a 62-year-old Democrat from Kansas, agrees with the president’s decision.

“It wasn’t worth losing more American lives over a mess. After 20 years, you got to cut loose.”

But other supporters of the president told the Associated Press that they had mixed feelings about the US exit.

“I don’t believe we should have been in there to begin with,” said Sebastian Garcia, a 23-year-old Biden voter from Lubbock, Texas.

“But now that we’re leaving, I do feel we probably should stay after seeing, I guess you’d say, the trouble we’ve caused.”

The poll revealed that two-thirds of people also felt that the Iraq War was a mistake, with four in 10 Republicans saying it was worthwhile, and only three in 10 Democrats.

Deborah Fulkerson of Pueblo, Colorado, told the news organisation that the US should have remained in Afghanistan.

“I feel like us having a presence there just keeps things more neutral and safer there for those people and for us,” said the 62-year-old.

Around half of those surveyed said that they were extremely or very concerned about the threat posed to the US by foreign extremist groups.

But two-thirds of those polled said that they actually view the major national security threat as being an internal US one.