While the bulk of Americans want to see U.S. forces leave Afghanistan, slight majorities have expressed disapproval with the withdrawal timetable and would prefer it to occur at a more rapid clip, according to a survey.
U.S. President Barack Obama last week announced the removal of 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year and an additional 23,000 troops next year in a decision that reflects Americans' weariness with a conflict that has lasted nearly a decade.
Americans broadly support Obama's drawdown plan, with 72 percent favoring the move and 23 percent opposed, the Gallup poll found.
The same survey, however, found that six in 10 Americans disagree with the president's timetable for reducing U.S. troop presence in the war-torn country. A third of participants believe troops should be pulled out sooner, 30 percent endorse Obama's schedule and 31 percent are opposed to any timetable.
That reaction could reflect respondents' views on the pace of troop withdrawal as well as their perceptions about the impact that announcing a timetable could have on the U.S. war effort, Gallup said.
Democrats are the most supportive of Obama's timetable, but fewer than half, or 45 percent, agree with it, while 40 percent believe U.S. forces should leave sooner.
The slight majority of Republicans, or 54 percent, said no timetable should be set, while the rest are evenly divided between agreeing with Obama's timetable (19 percent) and wanting an accelerated pullout (20 percent), Gallup said.
The slight majority of Democrats, or 57 percent, said the 30,000 figure is about right. But in line with vocal criticism of the plan from House Minority Leader Republican Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats who want a more aggressive drawdown, 30 percent called it too low, Gallup found.
Independents' reactions are more closely divided: 40 percent called it about right, 33 percent said it was too low, and 18 percent said it is too high. Republicans are the most fractured of all, with about a third saying the withdrawal figure is about right, a third calling it too high, and 20 percent saying it is too low, Gallup reported.
U.S. President Barack Obama last week announced the removal of 10,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year and an additional 23,000 troops next year in a decision that reflects Americans' weariness with a conflict that has lasted nearly a decade.
Americans broadly support Obama's drawdown plan, with 72 percent favoring the move and 23 percent opposed, the Gallup poll found.
The same survey, however, found that six in 10 Americans disagree with the president's timetable for reducing U.S. troop presence in the war-torn country. A third of participants believe troops should be pulled out sooner, 30 percent endorse Obama's schedule and 31 percent are opposed to any timetable.
That reaction could reflect respondents' views on the pace of troop withdrawal as well as their perceptions about the impact that announcing a timetable could have on the U.S. war effort, Gallup said.
Democrats are the most supportive of Obama's timetable, but fewer than half, or 45 percent, agree with it, while 40 percent believe U.S. forces should leave sooner.
The slight majority of Republicans, or 54 percent, said no timetable should be set, while the rest are evenly divided between agreeing with Obama's timetable (19 percent) and wanting an accelerated pullout (20 percent), Gallup said.
The slight majority of Democrats, or 57 percent, said the 30,000 figure is about right. But in line with vocal criticism of the plan from House Minority Leader Republican Nancy Pelosi and other congressional Democrats who want a more aggressive drawdown, 30 percent called it too low, Gallup found.
Independents' reactions are more closely divided: 40 percent called it about right, 33 percent said it was too low, and 18 percent said it is too high. Republicans are the most fractured of all, with about a third saying the withdrawal figure is about right, a third calling it too high, and 20 percent saying it is too low, Gallup reported.
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