A recent poll has shown that nearly seven in 10 Afghans support the presence of foreign forces in their country while 61 percent favour the increase of U.S. and NATO troops to 37,000 this year.The poll however concluded that support for U.S. and NATO forces dropped sharply in the south and east where militancy is most intense.Only about 10 percent of Afghans support the Taliban, but the militants are backed by 27 percent of the population in the country's southwest.The poll was conducted by three media agencies including BBC, ABC news and a German news agency, among more than 1500 Afghan adults from Dec. 11 to Dec. 23.The poll said nearly seven in 10 Afghans think their nation is headed in the right direction.NATO said in a statement that the increasing optimism of the Afghan people about their future is welcome news to the alliance and indicates greater popularity for NATO's mission and decreased support for the Taliban