Letter: Troops must stay in Iraq to keep peace

Sir: Your report "Death in the wilderness" (2 February), quotes me as saying: "If the al-Jazeera footage is genuine, it shows that an aircraft flying at altitude has been shot down by what looks like some sort of spliced-together weapons system. This would be an unprecedented and catastrophic event. Hitherto we have not seen the insurgents capable of launching such an attack."

What I actually said is that the footage looks as if it is "spliced together". Time will tell, but I doubt the insurgents have the capability to engage coalition aircraft flying at altitude. The wreckage, however, does seem to show the remnants of a Rolls-Royce Allison T56 turboprop engine as used in the C-130.

PETER FELSTEAD

Editor, Jane's Defence Weekly

Coulsdon, Surrey