SIR - Messrs Appleyard, Naylor and Suchi recently expressed good points regarding western military intervention in Syria.

Without playing down the severity of what’s happening in Syria, there have been many examples of human rights atrocities that have taken place globally involving greater numbers of casualties and victims. These include Christian populations in the middle east and sub-Saharan Africa who have been the victims of human rights atrocities and ethnic cleansing for many years as well as the oppression of innocent people in Yemen and the Palestinian population.

Sometimes these atrocities have low media attention as well as the fact that America, Britain and France often appear to cherry pick their military campaigns around countries that don’t play the oil game with America or aren't on the list for invasion if we have a weapons trade with them or good relationship again, around oil.

If there are any future bombing campaigns of Syria, as well as the risk to the civilian population, think of the consequences of Russian forces getting caught in the crossfire. This could escalate easily to tactical nuclear weapon use and then move on to intercontinental ballistic missile exchanges.

George Hitchcock, Southlands, Baildon.