[Aeronaut]

Unfortunately, dead soldiers are a part of war.

Agreed. But, to paraphrase Patton; let's make sure that a lot more of them are dying for their cause than we are for ours. Clean up the mess with overwhelming force.

[Filibuster_60]

Heck, a lot more of the enemy has died for their cause in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere in this war on terror. More of the insurgents are rounded up or killed off by the day, if not by the hour. But "overwhelming force" is hardly an option against any enemy that lurks in the shadows and hides among the noncombatant population. We're paying the price of fighting a pinpoint-precision war, as opposed to razing entire villages as the Soviets did in Afghanistan. The problem is, the army isn't too good at hunting guerillas. That's a job for the Marines and SF.

The insurgents must be defeated on their own terms: with superior human intelligence which would allow us to stage ambushes and prevent strikes before they take place. The enemy is confident at this stage because his human intelligence outmatches ours, his ability to infiltrate the other side is greater, and when he isn't actively setting up or executing attacks, his chances of death or capture are small, unless he's already on our wanted list.

Like it or not, this is a war on the enemy's terms.