Millions of Arab Muslims need to die for the Arab Muslim civilians to stop supporting the terrorists and their methods. This surgical strike stuff doesn't cut it. The Germans and Japanese didn't surrender because we only took out their tanks and airplanes. Dresden, Nagasaki, Hiroshima, etc -- is what brought the war to a close.
You are 100% right. Its not about breaking the military, especially in this war. Its about breaking the will. They either have to learn to love us or learn to fear us. We can safely assume love is out of the question.
Surgical strikes do not inspire fear. They do nothing to break the will of the people supporting the terrorists. The smart bomb is horrible invention in that regard. Wars end because of how awful they are. When we try to clean war up, we get exactly what we see now. Wars that do not end.
Love of fear. We currently have neither but either will suffice.