Letter: War is always nasty

Sir: While the loss of life incurred during the mistaken attack on a group of Kosovo refugees is highly regrettable, such error in modern warfare is by no means uncommon. Given the speed at which various scenarios emerge it is surprising that such incidents are not more common. No amount of smart technology has yet negated the role of the man on the trigger.

Modern conflicts have a long history of such accidents, from infantrymen in the American Civil War of both sides firing on their own compatriots, to the firing on the Grimsby fishing fleet by the Imperial Russian Navy, many incidents in both World Wars and the attack by an American fighter on a British armoured column during the Gulf war.

As soon as conflict is entered upon there is a sad certainty that such incidents will happen. They should not be used as an excuse to call for the abandonment of a just cause. The real tragedy is that such incidents divert attention from the inhuman activities of the Serbian military and paramilitary forces in Kosovo. Thankfully Nato high command are not so easily swayed from their purpose.

IAN M HENDERSON

Rochester, Kent