Letters: Sharply Divided Views On Afghan War Crim

There was no middle ground as readers responded passionately to our Aug. 26 Special Report, "The Death Convoy of Afghanistan." Many were angry. "Nobody should be surprised that Osama bin Laden is still at large," one declared. "After all, our 'Special' Forces cannot detect widespread atrocities committed by our allies in broad daylight." Another asked, "Are we no longer interested in the ideals of our Founding Fathers, but only in our stock dividends, paychecks and the mistaken belief that superior military might means superior moral right?" But most readers were unwilling to place blame. "So the former torturers and murderers who composed the Taliban are now being tortured and murdered by their former victims," one wrote. "A little of their own medicine?" Others were more blunt. One letter writer asked, "Why should we be angry or upset over the Taliban and Qaeda fighters who were killed? Isn't each of them with 72 virgins right about now?"

Can War Crimes Be Justified?

Thank you, NEWSWEEK, for having the courage to write about the kind of atrocities that human-rights groups have been calling attention to since the war on Afghanistan began ("The Death Convoy of Afghanistan," Aug. 26). You are right that "there is no real moral justification for... combat if it is not to defend the rule of law." There are many of us who believe that war is never the answer in the first place.
Diana Perry
Berkeley, Calif.

The day I received your issue on the war crimes committed in Afghanistan, the press released newly acquired videos of members of Al Qaeda asphyxiating a dog with poison gas to test its lethality as a chemical weapon. I watched in horror as that poor animal tried to free itself of the rope around its neck and struggled to breathe. After I read your article, I felt nothing but relief knowing that there are fewer of these kinds of people around. It may not be politically correct to say so, but frankly, I have no sympathy for the suffering of the Taliban. I save those feelings for that dog.
Nancy L. Russ
Silver Spring, Md.

You're right: it's not easy to feel sympathy for the Taliban prisoners. Every time I wait in line to board a flight, or know a loved one is traveling, I am reminded of September 11. I detest the demons who performed this unspeakable evil against us. I don't feel sorry when something bad happens to them or their abettors.
Terry Smith
Jacksonville, Fla.

I could not finish your article describing the agonizing death of hundreds of young men cramped in hot, airless containers. No man or beast deserves to die so cruelly. I'm also brought to tears when watching scenes of young American men losing their lives on the beaches of Normandy during World War II. Taliban or American, most of those who die in wars are the young and innocent who believe they are fighting for a just cause. The criminals are the ones who send them to their deaths.
J. R. Kibodeaux
Houston, Texas