AS a 16-year-old citizen of Bolton, I would like to put forward my opinion on the current war in Iraq.

Unlike many of the pupils up and down the country who have walked out of lessons to join in pointless, morale-destroying, stop-the-war marches, I believe that Saddam Hussein and his oppressive regime must be taken out, and, if force is necessary, then force must be used. I also believe that the people of Bolton, and of the nation, should follow Bill and Anne Dwyer who were featured in the Friday, April 4, edition of the Bolton Evening News. This couple hung out a Union flag in support for the soldiers in the Gulf.

These young people have travelled to a country far from their own and are fighting to preserve our freedom and that of future generations. Their job must be hard enough without people from their own country protesting against a conflict which is already under way. Surely the best thing we at home can do is to rally round and support those who sacrifice so much for our freedom.

And, to those who persistently grumble that Blix and his inspectors should have been given more time; there are lessons to be learned from history. When the Nazi regime with Hitler as its leader was in power, the major powers of this world appeased Hitler, thinking that he would not seek to spread the oppressive regime of Nazi fascism. The result, not a personality turn-around in Adolf Hitler, a leader renowned for defiancy, and a peaceful riddance of the Nazi regime, but a conflict that lasted six years, with the casualties of millions.

Now, as a GCSE history student writing causation essays on the Second World War, I often wonder why nobody rose up against Hitler sooner, when his power and armaments were less of a problem.

I would not like to be responsible for future students writing similar essays on Gulf War 2.

How would these people who suggest waiting even longer (than the 12 years Hussein has already had) suggest we wait? Until he and his sons unleash their weapons upon us and our sons, maybe? These people would probably be the very people shouting the loudest, "why wasn't something done sooner?"

Miss Emma J Deighan

Cherwell Road

Westhoughton

Bolton