A Gallup report found that one year after the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, 50% of Americans say the US made a mistake in sending troops to the country, while 46% say it did not.

“About one month after then-President George W. Bush ordered the first attacks on Afghanistan by US troops, the effort enjoyed broad bipartisan support. Yet by 2004, 41% of Democrats considered the war in Afghanistan a mistake, and 26% of independents agreed, compared with 11% of Republicans,” the Gallup report said.

According to Gallup, since then, the Democrats and independents have been far more likely than Republicans to say the US had made a mistake by sending troops.

“Majorities of Democrats -- including 58% in the current survey, conducted Aug. 1-23 -- have deemed the action a mistake since 2013. Majorities of independents, including 53% today, have said the same since July 2021,” the report reads.

According to Gallup research, the Afghanistan War, which began as a direct result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, ultimately claimed the lives of more than 2,400 US service members, and injuries to more than 20,000 US troops and cost the US more than $2 trillion.

“This war economically was heavy for the United States and caused many human casualties, these two things are the reason for losing the American people's support for the presence of American forces in Afghanistan,” said Ajmal Sulail, a counter-terrorism expert.

“This war is the cause that most of our youth are leaving the country, and now it is so hard to find educated people in Afghanistan,” said Farhad, a Kabul resident.