Anyone pointing the finger at American forces for supposed crimes has to take into account the opposition as well. On the whole, American forces have conducted themselves far better in Afghanistan than the Taliban. There is simply no comparison between the two sides in terms of ethics. I find it hypocritical of Wikileaks to publish military secrets of the Americans, because it seems unlikely Wikileaks would ever have the courage to publish military secrets of the Taliban, or another Muslim insurgency, for fear of reprisal.
I find it difficult to comprehend why a Taliban sympathizer, whatever his religious beliefs, would attack a girl's school with poison gas, or attack schoolgirls with acid, just for the supposed "crime" to trying to become educated.
I think it is fair to depict the Taliban as absolute evil, without any capacity for ethics. They attack soft targets, lacking defenses, and they attack innocent non-combatants. They are enemies of humankind, no different than virulent strains of viruses or bacteria. Whether we should be in there attempting to eradicate them on our dime is another question. But I certainly think that fighting the Taliban is a worthwhile and honorable occupation, whatever might be determined by a cost/benefit analysis of the overall conflict. The more Taliban put beneath the soil, the better for the race of man.
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