Americans Believe Afghan War Not Worth Costs, New Poll Finds

An ABC News - Washington Post poll indicates that 60 percent of U.S. citizens believe the war in Afghanistan is not worth its costs. The survey found that only 35 percent of Americans believe the decade-long effort has warranted its expense and loss of life.

For the first time in five years, Republicans polled are evenly divided on whether the war has justified its price.

The poll indicates 54 percent of all Americans want the U.S. to pull its troops from Afghanistan, even if the Afghan army is not adequately trained to carry on the fight. But the survey finds about 6 in 10 Democrats and independents back this position, while just 4 in 10 Republicans do.

Meanwhile, only 30 percent of Americans believe that most Afghans support U.S. efforts in their country.

The United States and its NATO allies plan to pull out their troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and hand over security operations to the Afghan army.