Ambulance evacuating wounded people from school. Attack helicopter in the air.
Here we have a group of terrorists who are willing to die for their cause. And also willing to kill any number of civilian men, women and children.
And as they fondle their AK-47's, they might think that even if they die, they are advancing the cause for their brothers, sisters, mothers , cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles and anybody else they care about. Their relatives will be safe - because they are "not involved". What a deal.
Suppose the Russians gathered all these people, if they know who the terrorists are, and put them in the same building. Message? "You terorists are killing people you don't know and don't care about. Here are some people we can kill who you DO care about. You make the call." Or, if everybody is killed, terrorists and hostages alike, the relatives can be rounded up later to send a message to future terrorists. The Russians have done this kind of thing before, in Beirut. It worked as far as I remember.
But...is this right? Is it wrong? Then again, was Hiroshima and Dresden right or wrong? It may come to this for us, when we are forced into a similar situation - and when the luxury of compassion for "non-involved" combatants may get thrown out the window.
But if history is any indicator, people will blather on about the finer points of a just war, until THEIR ox and children are gored. Then they want to nuke everybody.
Exactly right.