The Sun editorial, "Winning hearts and minds" (Feb. 16), is right on when it says that "civilian deaths underscore the risks of the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan." It is common knowledge that in today's wars, more civilians are killed than soldiers. In Iraq, for example, the U.S. military was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi civilians, maybe more. And I refuse to call these deaths collateral damage.

Eventually, though, the editorial goes astray in thinking the right military strategy will bring about peace in Afghanistan. No military strategy will work, especially one dependent upon a "reformed" Karzai government.

War is far from the answer. The only plausible solution is peace through negotiations and diplomacy. And most importantly the women, who are scorned by both the Taliban and the warlords in the Karzai government, must be at the table. I cannot conjure how awful it must be for a woman in Afghanistan, but I do know they would have a solution if they were able to voice their opinions.

Max Obuszewski, Baltimore

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