Almost two-thirds of Americans say the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were not worth fighting: poll

• 62% of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting.
• A slightly higher number, 63%, believe the Iraq war wasn't worth it either.
• The AP-NORC poll also found that Americans now see domestic extremism as a bigger threat.
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As the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan continues, almost two-thirds of Americans say that the 20-year war in that country – as well as the Iraq War – were not worth fighting, per a new AP-NORC poll.

The polling for the two wars – conflicts begun separately and for distinct reasons – is remarkably similar. 62% of Americans believe that the war in Afghanistan was not worth fighting, while 63% say the same about the Iraq War.

For both wars, a slight partisan divide exists; Republicans were more likely to say that the wars were worth fighting than Democrats, with 45% of Republicans saying the war in Iraq was worth fighting, versus just 27% of Democrats that said the same thing.

The poll also found that after 20 years of counterterrorism operations in Afghanistan, Americans are now more concerned about the threat posed by domestic extremist groups; 65% of all Americans said they were extremely or very concerned about domestic extremism, versus just 50% who said the same about foreign extremist groups.

Again, a partisan divide exists; 75% of Democrats said they were very or extremely worried about the threat posed by domestic extremist groups, while 57% of Republicans said the same thing.

Lastly, the poll found that President Joe Biden is underwater when it comes to Americans' approval of his foriegn policy; 47% approve, while 51% disapprove.

The AP-NORC poll, conducted August 12 - 16 as the Taliban mounted their final conquest of Afghan cities, included 1,729 adults reached via online and telephone interviews and had a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.