R WESTMORELAND (Letters, January 13) accuses me of missing the point about Afghanistan.

His original letter asserted that Britain was more corrupt than Afghanistan, which is nonsense, and his latest letter is even more fantastic.

He seems to believe that the Afghan resistance is like something from the Rowntree Park Peace Festival and includes Christians, atheists, anarchists and socialists.

If anyone in Afghanistan becomes either a Christian or an atheist they are liable to the death penalty, and the Taliban has a long history of murdering any self-proclaimed socialists or anarchists The US and UK have made terrible mistakes in Afghanistan, but three-quarters of the civilian deaths have been caused by the Taliban.

The coalition does not set out to murder civilians, the Taliban does.

I condemn coalition atrocities; does Mr Westmoreland condemn the Taliban or does being anti-American excuse any crime?

James Richards, Scarcroft Road, York.

• Editor’s note: This correspondence is now at an end.