IN reply to the letter from Mr Carrigher.

Of course we all know what Saddam Hussein is capable of, and it is for precisely this reason that we have a moral duty to disarm him -- no ifs, no buts, no excuses and no hand wringing.

More specifically, in response to the writer's two points, Osama Bin Laden is probably hiding very scared at the moment since his second-in-command is now safely in the hands of the US authorities. Bin Laden and Al Queda were not waiting for war to begin, their campaign is ongoing, as the atrocities in Bali and Kenya so horrifically demonstrate. If Saddam Hussein is left in power with chemical, biological and, ultimately, the potential for nuclear weapons, it is inevitable that they will eventually be sold or given to the very networks that have no hesitation in flying airliners full of men, women and children into skyscrapers.

As to Mr Carrigher's second point -- yes, we were supportive of Iraq in its war with Iran. But, Mr Carrigher, hindsight is a wonderful thing. However, the world following September 11 is a different place. Regimes like the one in Iraq are now far more accountable for their actions which, if left unchecked, will have severe consequences for everyone in the free world.

Both military and civilian lives were lost in Kosovo and Afghanistan. No war is fought without loss, but the people of those areas are now no longer in fear of their lives from a brutal regime. Didn't we hear the same anti-war, anti-US views expressed prior to the liberation of those people? Who does Mr Carrigher think he owes his freedom to to write to this paper to the peace marchers of 1939?

Finally, this is not a war about money or oil. We are going to Iraq to bring democracy to an oppressed population and to prevent weapons of mass destruction from falling into the hands of those that would use them against us. The people who voice their anti-war opinions on this page pay lip service to the evils of Saddam Hussein, but, rather than offering a realistic alternative to force, choose to spout unfounded anti-American rhetoric and ignore the reality of the situation in Iraq that, if left to continue, would have dire consequences for both ourselves and the Iraqi people.

Peter D Morgan

Higher Granges

Horwich, Bolton