Despite a wave of violence, an overwhelming majority of Afghans believe their government is in control of the country and oppose a return to the Taliban, a survey said Monday.

The study comes as concern mounts in the West for Afghanistan's future. The United States is preparing to withdraw most of its troops this year, ending a war launched after the September 11 attacks.

But the survey by the firm ATR Consulting found that 80 percent of Afghans thought that the government was in control with similarly strong levels of trust in the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police, two institutions rebuilt after the 2001 fall of the Taliban regime.

"This was surprising to us. We had a lot of assumptions before starting this study," said Lola Cecchinel, a French expert on Afghanistan who heads research for ATR Consulting.

"There is a widespread narrative about Afghanistan, about there not being any progress in the past 11 years. A lot of people are saying that the country is going to fall apart," she said as she presented the study at the Center for National Policy, a Washington think tank.

She said that outsiders' perceptions of security may be colored by high-profile attacks in Kabul, including an assault last month on a popular Lebanese restaurant that left 21 people dead, including 13 foreigners.

By contrast, the findings showed "extremely high" levels of trust in national institutions and wide agreement that progress has been made since the Western-backed government took over from the Taliban.

Only 12.7 percent of men - and just 1.6 percent of women - supported a return of Taliban rule across Afghanistan. The Taliban imposed an austere brand of Islam during its 1996-2001 regime, including depriving women of virtually all activities outside the house.

AFP