Zainal Abidin's 'Proof before retribution' (Oct 18) is a blind belief in the innocence of Osama bin Laden and the Taliban, defying logic and what is already known about Al Qaeda's operations. Terrorism did not begin with the Sept 11 attacks.

According to an article in the Sunday Times in UK (Oct 7), a previous attempt at a massive terrorist strike was made by Ahmed Ressam. He was stopped by police with a car full of explosives at the US-Canadian border. He had plotted to blow up Los Angeles International airport on the eve of the millennium. From testimony at his trial in a New York federal court, he began his training at an Afghan terrorist camp run by Osama's Al Qaeda network. After basic training on how to fire a handgun, he had within six months, graduated to sophisticated assassination techniques and had been taught how to launch cyanide gas on targets.

Following his conviction in April, Ahmad agreed to testify against a former friend, Mokhtar Haouari, whom he helped to gain admission to an Al Qaeda training camp. During Mokhtar's trial in July, Ahmad revealed that Amar Makhlulif, an Algerian living in London, was one of the "gatekeepers" for admission to the Afghan training camps. Amar, better known under the alias Dr Hayda Abu Doha, or the Doctor, was arrested at Heathrow airport earlier this year and faces extradition to America for his part in the Los Angeles bomb plot.

Recently we heard the news about the sentencing of four men convicted by a US federal jury for car bombs outside US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. They had received explosives training at Al Qaeda's Afghan camps.

Of the four, Wadih El-Hage was a former personal secretary to Osama. The other three, Mohamed Rashed Daoud al-'Owhali, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed, and Mohamed Sadeek Odeh had received training at Al Qaeda's Afghan camps. Rashed confessed to riding in the truck used in the Nairobi bombing.

As for PAS, their leaders have burnt their bridges to travel on a river of no return with Osama, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Nothing so 'trivial' as evidence about Osama's terrorist activities or about the Malaysian Mujahidin Group (KMM) activities will make them reverse course on their national and multinational 'dreams'. It is a pity as most Malaysians simply want to build a modern, economically viable and happy Malaysia, not get pushed into an unending nightmare of suffering as the poor and backward Afghans are experiencing, and confrontation with the world's superpower.

The aim of the war against terror is not just to take out Osama. He is merely one terrorist among many and others are ready to step into his shoes. The ultimate aim must be to root out terrorist cells in whatever country they operate.

Terrorism, if left unchecked, will cause world governments to undertake security measures restricting freedom. This and the heightened anxieties will take away a great deal of joy from our lives.