Afghans reject bin Laden, want more peacekeepers - poll
(AFP)
Updated: 2006-01-11 15:19

Huge majorities of Afghans reject Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, approve the US military role in their country and are grateful to international bodies like the United Nations.

The survey by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland also found strong support for President Hamid Karzai.

"Clearly this (poll) is a positive portent for the struggle against extreme fundamentalism," said Steven Kull, director of PIPA.

Eight-one percent Afghans polled think Al-Qaeda is a negative influence in the world, with only six percent saying Osama bin Laden's terror network has a positive impact.

Osama bin Laden himself, once sheltered by the Taliban militia ousted with the help of a US-led coalition in 2001, has even lower ratings, with 90 percent of those polled saying they had an unfavourable view of him.

Eighty-eight percent said they had an unfavorable view of the Taliban.

The poll, conducted across ethnic groups including Pashtuns, Tajiks, Uzbek and Hazara communities, also found large support for the US military presence in Afghanistan.

Eighty-three percent said they had a favorable view of "US military forces in our country."

International agencies pouring aid into Afghanistan were also popular -- 93 percent gave the United Nations favorable ratings, for instance.

Afghans also appear to favour further expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with 89 percent of those asked in favor.

The survey was conducted among a sample of 2,089 Afghan adults from between November 27 and December 4.