REGARDING Hyndburn MP Greg Pope's visit to America to witness the devastation after the terrorist attack of September 11 (LET, November 20), I also admire his efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Kashmir conflict.

I am sure that every member of Britain's community wants the terrorists responsible for the outrage in New York to be dealt with accordingly when caught.

Mr Pope will not need reminding that terrorists are still creating devastation in our own country, or of the deaths due to bombings in Warrington, Birmingham and London and the severe damage caused in Manchester.

Only a minority of prisoners caught after these bombings and imprisoned were later released, along with many more prison inmates on the 'advice' of the present government, of which Mr Pope is a member.

It seems remarkable that leading MPs are travelling all over the world discussing war issues and, hopefully, the forthcoming capture of Osama Bin Laden, when bombings are still going on in our own country.

Another debatable report was that about an Asian Burnley resident being held in Afghanistan by the Northern Alliance after he left Britain to support the Taliban (LET, November 21) and in which it was said that dozens more young UK Muslims had done the same.

What I found distasteful was that a member of Labour's National Executive was accusing the Foreign Office of failing to win this Taliban sympathiser his release from Afghanistan.

It is my opinion that if these young men want to fight with our enemies they should not be allowed to return to Bitain -- although, let's face it, we are such a soft touch, anyone is welcome.

DOUGLAS MOSS (Mr), Whalley Old Road, Sunny Bower, Blackburn.