WASHINGTON: Sixty per cent of Americans surveyed in an ABC News/ Washington Post poll released on Thursday believe that the war in Afghanistan is not worth fighting.

The poll appeared on the day President Barack Obama announced review of US operations in Afghanistan.

Dissatisfaction with the war has risen seven points since July, according to ABC News.

On a cost-benefit basis, only 34 per cent of those polled believe the war has been worth fighting, down nine points and setting a new low.

“Negative views of the war for the first time are at the level of those recorded for the war in Iraq, whose unpopularity dragged (former US president) George W. Bush to historic lows in approval across his second term,” it said.

Mr Obama got mixed reviews for handling the war effort: 45 per cent of those surveyed approve of his work on Afghanistan, while 46 per cent disapprove.

Fifty-four per cent of Americans also support Mr Obama's pledge to start withdrawing US forces from Afghanistan in mid-2011, up by 15 points since it was announced one year ago.

The telephone poll was conducted by Langer Research Associates between Dec 9-12 among a random sample of 1,001 US adults. It has a 3.5-point error margin.—AFP