FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. (Map, News) - Vice President Dick Cheney says pulling troops out of Iraq too soon will put the United States at even greater risk to terrorism.

Cheney spoke to a small crowd near Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle on Friday.

He says the United States needs to learn from what happened in Afghanistan after the Soviet Union withdrew troops from the country in the 1980s. Civil war ensued, the Taliban took over and Osama bin Laden eventually used the nation as a training ground for terrorists.

Many Democrats believe that staying in Iraq puts the U.S. at greater risk and does nothing to stop al-Qaida. Polls show most Americans think the Iraq war is a mistake.

Cheney made the remarks at fundraiser for Congressman Jeff Miller's re-election, as well as other Republican House races.