Sir, - It really is time to put something in Kevin Myers's tea (An Irishman's Diary) December 12th. It appears that at least some of those killed at Mazar-e-Sharif were shot with their hands tied. Unless they were trying to escape by headbutting their way to freedom, it is hard to see how they might have reneged on a surrender.
The Clinton regime's "appeasement" of terrorism in Somalia (where, according to Mr Myers, the US learned "the wisdom of prudent funk") involved the killing of hundreds of Somalis. Should they have killed more or just blown up the local aspirin factory?
Finally, the "eye of Predator unmanned reconnaissance aircraft" is not as "all-seeing" as Mr Myers thinks: the US Department of Defence's director of operational test and evaluation says that "lessons learned from the operational deployment to Bosnia...indicated that the target location accuracy of the Predator sensors could be in excess of one kilometer".
In a further test report obtained by the Project on Government Oversight, the same official says that "poor target location accuracy, ineffective communications, and limits imposed by relatively benign weather, including rain, negatively impact missions such as strike support, combat search and rescue, area search, and continuous coverage."
In other words, it can't see very well, and not at all when it's raining. - Yours, etc.,
Michael Carley, Bath, Somerset, England.