I read with interest the front-page story in The Star Sept. 21 in regard to Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the situation in Afghanistan. I also found Fran Quigley’s column provocative but nave ("Laying down guns in Afghanistan,’’ Sept. 21 ).

Please remember it was in Afghanistan where the Sept. 11 plots were formulated. Every woman in this country should be outraged at the treatment of their sisters by the Taliban in Afghanistan and its rule of terror that we have all witnessed on the news.

It would be wonderful if peaceful resolutions worked, but when you are dealing with radicals who are hell-bent on destroying the world as we know it, it is time for us to gather the moral resolve required for the task to help create a peaceful, stable Afghanistan. Otherwise, we may be sifting through the rubble of a nuclear-annihilated American city because we didn’t want to continue the fight any longer. Giving peace a chance always works better from a position of strength. The general needs more troops.

Norman Mindrebo

Noblesville