Nearly 70% of Afghans Support U.S. Troop Presence
A few weeks before General Stanley McChrystal implied that the tide may be turning in Afghanistan, the results of a BBC poll showed that more Afghans had an optimistic outlook of the situation in their nation, including the presence of U.S. troops.
To put the importance of the results into perspective, the survey was conducted in December 2009. In 2009 the Afghan people were said to have paid an average of $160 in bribes. Also, in 2009 on average 3 children a day died because of war-related incidents in Afghanistan.
Yet, despite the mounting bad news for what many believed to be the worst year in the United States’ eight year long military operation in Afghanistan, Afghans still remained optimistic for their future as they turned their backs on the Taliban:
70% said they believed Afghanistan was going in the right direction – a big jump from 40% a year ago.
Of those questioned, 68% now back the presence of US troops in Afghanistan, compared with 63% a year ago.
Ninety per cent said they wanted their country run by the current government, compared with 6% who said they favoured a Taliban administration.
Read full report here.
Dr. Ashraf Ghani on Significance of Survey Results:
“About 60 percent of the country has acquired the means to cope“
“Checks and balances are developing…People prefer stability to chaos. The population has become stakeholders in stability“
Afghans more optimistic for future, survey shows [BBC]