Poll: Americans split on whether Afghanistan war was a mistake

President George W. Bush first ordered U.S. troops to strike Afghanistan several weeks after 9/11 to destroy al Qaeda’s base of operations and prevent future terrorist attacks against the U.S. The action initially enjoyed broad bipartisan support; yet, by 2004, 41% of Democrats considered the war in Afghanistan to be a mistake while 9% of Republicans and 31% of independents agreed.

This pattern has generally persisted throughout the course of the war, with Democrats more likely than Republicans and independents to be critical of the war. With few exceptions, at least half of Democrats viewed the war as a mistake during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

The last time less than half of Democrats said the war was a mistake was in May 2011 after Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan. Currently, 56% of Democrats, 29% of Republicans and 54% of independents think the U.S. made a mistake in sending troops to Afghanistan.