William D. Shingleton, "Afghanistan Land Mine" (Letter to the Editor), The Washington Post 23 December 2000 

To the Editor -

I was appalled at S. Frederick Starr’s assertion that the United States is joining "an Indian-Russian crusade against Muslim Afghanistan" ("Afghanistan Land Mine, 19 December). The United States has a clear duty to take action against the Taliban, which currently harbors terrorist Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. Al-Qaeda has repeatedly struck U.S. targets, from the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing (19 U.S. citizens killed) to the 1998 embassy bombings in East Africa (301 killed, including 12 U.S. citizens) to the attack on the USS Cole (17 U.S. servicemen killed).

Moreover, the Taliban drives instability throughout the region. Last year, Taliban-sponsored insurgents nearly sparked a war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. The Taliban-supported Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan launched invasions of Central Asia in each of the last two years. These attacks on the U.S. and regional stability are reason enough to act in Afghanistan, regardless of Indian and Russian interests.

William D. Shingleton

Senior Fellow

National Defense Council Foundation

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