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Originally Posted by thefed
What do you all think of this story?
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It's the military's job to attack targets without making martyrs. In the eyes of the world media this would be almost as bad as My Lai.
Now if one of those 200 is identified as a target, then keep the video rolling and get those Hellfire-equipped Predators in the air now.
Which was probably done anyway. It's far better to follow the targets you know, and start connecting the dots, than it is to indiscriminately slaughter them and have to deal with their unknown successors. We won't know what was done with this imagery for another 25 years (or until the next leak).
In WWII the Germans were especially ruthless at exterminating Russian prisoners during Operation Barbarossa. The Germans felt that they had to keep moving and prisoners would just slow them down, consume valuable heating fuel/supplies, or escape to cause more trouble. This heartless policy was soon reflected in the Russian's scorched-earth defenses and steadfast fighting to the death instead of a more "humane" retreat & surrender. Nothing stiffened the fighting morale of the Russian front more than the reports of German atrocities.
So it's probably better to choose the victims a little more carefully than to kill 'em all and let our gods sort 'em out.
Unless, of course, they shoot first.