SHOULD Britain go to war against the brutal terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq? Chris Williamson was asking how he should vote, "Moral dilemma over strikes on barbaric foe" (September 29).
I presume Islamic State fighters only make up a small proportion of the people in Iraq. Air strikes, even if they are "targeted", will never kill just the fighters.
Unless IS spend all their time out in the desert away from towns and cities then bombs will be dropped on residential areas where the IS fighters are living and hiding.
Innocent residents will be killed and injured or made homeless and the infrastructure of the area will be badly affected by bombing. The "ordinary" people will have two sources to fear – Islamic State and the coalition's bombs.
We can blame IS for using people as a human shield. We can say it's their fault that our bombs have killed innocent people, but I believe we should not resort to action that will make the situation worse for those living in the country.
I don't believe military force alone can ever solve situations. I haven't heard anything from the Government about what happens after air strikes in Iraq. When faced with a group such as IS who are so brutal, everyone feels we must "do" something, but it seems whenever there is a problem in the world the answer from the West is air strikes.
I think air strikes are an excuse for not looking for more long-term solutions. I think men often resort to their fists before engaging their brains. This may work in the school playground but our weapons have developed from the human fist, through stones, knives, guns to tomahawk missiles and bombs.
The person unleashing the destructive power does not have to face the eyes of the child who has seen his mother blown to bits or the despair of the family who have lost everything and are forced to flee.
Bombs will never kill all Islamic State fighters. Their ideology will live on in the background to hamper the rebuilding of Iraq. The solution has to come from those who live in Iraq, in Syria and in the surrounding countries.
President Obama's coalition should use all its diplomatic force to engage with all Arab states in the area to come up with a joint plan for peace. Sometimes Britain must acknowledge we may not have the ability to make a situation better.
We should continue to send humanitarian aid. We should support those countries that are dealing with thousands of displaced people but we should think very carefully before unleashing more British bombs on the people of Iraq.
Jean Macdonald
Mickleover
