AS the retribution for the terrorist atrocity of September 11 is now unleashed with the British and American missile blitz on Afghanistan, one certainty stands out amid the inevitable trepidation that the conflict brings -- that this action is right and just.

For when the terrorists decided to murder thousands innocent people in America that bright morning less than four weeks ago, they almost certainly knew that it would bring a terrible backlash.

Now, it commences with war on the brutal Taliban regime in Afghanistan which both supports and harbours the evil terrorist network headed by Osama bin Laden.

Thus far, Britain and America have shown remarkable restraint. They offered the Taliban the opportunity to deliver up bin Laden and his terrorist chiefs. But they chose to remain on the side of terror -- and now deservedly reap the just response.

But though the morality of this retaliation cannot be disputed, let us trust that it is directed and confined as precisely as possible against the fanatical upholders of terrorism's evil and does not fall upon the innocent citizens of Afghanistan, many of whom are already suffering under the Taliban's oppression and hate.

Let us then hope that civilian casualties are as few as possible and that every bomb and missile falls only upon legitimate targets -- and that the Taliban regime is brought rapidly to its knees with the terrorist chiefs delivered up to international justice.

The hope that justice may be done, but without harm to the innocent, is today shared by Muslim leaders in East Lancashire -- signifying not only their community's understanding that this is a war against terror, not against Islam, and that true Muslims are just as appalled as anyone else at the atrocities in America.

Then, let us pray for victory in this just war -- and for it to end as swiftly as possible.