Poll: Afghans want bigger US presence, support troops

Many Afghans say they want to see a bigger U.S. military role in their country and an overwhelming majority supports the presence of American troops, according to a new poll.

The poll, released this week by the Afghan Center for Socio-Economic and Opinion Research, was taken in November, shortly before the formal end of the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan.

It found a plurality, 46 percent, of Afghans want to see a "greater commitment" of U.S. forces in 2015 than planned. Just 29 percent said they want fewer or no U.S. forces.

Further, 77 percent said they support the presence of American troops. Even more said the U.S. campaign to oust the Taliban in 2001 was a good thing.

Despite the sustained violence in the country, a majority of those polled blame the Taliban or Al Qaeda. Just 12 percent blamed the U.S.

The poll of 2,051 Afghans had a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.