84% Of Americans Believe US Should Stay In Afghanistan Until Evacuation Is Complete

An overwhelming majority of Americans believe that U.S. troops should stay in Afghanistan until the government has completed its evacuation efforts despite an Aug. 31 deadline given by the Taliban.

A new ABC News-Ipsos poll, conducted on Aug. 27 to 28, found that 84% of Americans believe the U.S. troops in Afghanistan should stay there until the government has successfully evacuated all Americans from the country.

At least 71% of the poll’s 513 participants aged 18 and older also said that American troops should not withdraw until they’ve evacuated all Afghans who helped the U.S.

The study, which was conducted in both English and Spanish, also asked its participants whether they believe President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops in Afghanistan has a significant impact on American security from terrorism.

At least 56% said they believe Biden’s decision will not affect America’s safety. However, 36% believe it makes the U.S. less safe from terrorism, while 7% say the withdrawal makes the country safer from terrorism.

President Biden has reiterated that all U.S. troops must be out of Afghanistan by Tuesday, regardless of whether they have completed evacuation efforts.

"The sooner we can finish the better. Each day of operations brings added risk to our troops," Biden said in a statement last Tuesday, two days before the suicide bombing, according to ABC News. "Every day we're on the ground, is another day we know that ISIS-K is seeking to target the airport and attack both U.S. and allied forces and innocent civilians."

Biden’s performance rating has sharply dropped following his handling of Afghanistan, with 59% of the same poll's participants saying they disapprove of his decisions. However, the president’s performance on other issues improved slightly since last month.

On the issue of the COVID-19 pandemic, 64% of the poll’s participants said they approve of the president’s response, up from 63% on July 23 and 24. In comparison, only 35% disapproved of the president’s response.

Biden’s performance on crime and gun violence also increased slightly, with 46% saying they approve of his handling of crime and 44% saying they approve of the president’s handling of gun violence. In comparison, only 39% and 37% approved his handling of crime and gun violence in the July 23 to 24 poll, respectively.