Over 69 percent Americans support Afghan war, 57% reject US troop withdrawal deadline: Poll

Washington, Aug 10 (ANI): Over 69 percent of Americans believe that the Afghanistan war is important to their national security, with 36 percent of those saying it is very important. A majority of 57 percent also rejected any deadline for withdrawal of US troops, saying it should only be done when conditions on the ground warrant, according to a news TIPP/Monitor poll.

According to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), 'WikiLeaks' leaking more than 91,000 classified Afghanistan war documents and accounts that gave an intimate and unvarnished look at the faltering campaign, appears to have virtually no effect on American public opinion.

Seventy-nine percent of those respondents who were somewhat familiar with the leaking incident,aid that the revelations did not change their support for the war.

The poll offers both hope and caution to President Obama, who has persevered with the war despite strong criticism from many members of his own party, the paper states.

A majority of respondents however criticized Obama's war plan, with only 27 percent saying that the administration had laid out clear goals for success.

Forty-four percent of Democrats were in favor of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan only when conditions on the ground warrant, while 39 percent of them favoured an immediate withdrawal.

From about 22 percent of Democrats who were familiar with the leak, 12 percent said that 'WikiLeaks' decreased their support for the Afghanistan war.

A majority of 87 percent Democratic respondents were either not familiar with WikiLeaks or said it had no effect on their support of the war.

Among Republicans and independents, the WikiLeaks report had little effect, and support for staying the course in the war remained solid.

Nearly three-quarters of Republicans (73 percent) and 60 percent of Independents have favored staying until conditions on the ground warrant a withdrawal. (ANI)