Sir, - The innocent people of Afghanistan are as much victims of the Taliban regime and its guest Osama bin Laden as the thousands of people of many nationalities who perished in the attacks on New York and Washington.
The international community, while it undoubtedly has a duty to combat international terrorism, also has a duty to look after the vulnerable and impoverished people of this world.
Whatever happens in Afghanistan in the coming days and weeks it seems that its neighbour Pakistan is set to become, once again, the location of one of the largest refugee populations in the world. Already millions of Afghan refugees are living in camps in Pakistan, some of which have been in existence for 25 years.
A million more are fleeing the expected reprisals in Taliban areas of Afghanistan and millions of others are suffering the effects of drought and hunger. Conditions in the camps are extremely harsh but are still better than many Afghan people can expect within their own country.
Quite apart from the war machines gearing up for action, the onset of winter, which in a few weeks' time will cause temperatures to drop to minus 20 degrees in places, presents an even more pressing deadline for many hundreds of thousands of Afghan families desperately seeking shelter and a means of survival. I fear many will not make it through.
Unless serious thought and planning is devoted to alleviating the plight of these people, the world can brace itself for a major humanitarian catastrophe. These people have suffered enough without being made the victims of the international lust for vengeance.
It is timely that Ireland's month as president of the UN Security Council begins on October 1st, as this presents our Government with the ideal opportunity to influence events. I call on our representatives at the Security Council to ensure that Afghans fleeing the war in their own country and seeking shelter in Pakistan will be looked after.
They must also ensure that the flow of humanitarian aid to Afghans remaining in their own country is continued for the foreseeable future, certainly over the winter months.
It must be remembered that the only struggle that concerns the vast majority of people in Afghanistan is the struggle to survive. Like impoverished people the world over, they deserve all the assistance we can muster. - Yours, etc.,
John O'Shea, GOAL, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.