LogFAQs > #986784317

monkmith posted...

your soldiers are also civilians of your own country, and as a general you've got a mandate not to waste their lives. honestly though you've likely fucked up hard if your choice is either to sacrifice 500 extra soldiers or murder 500 random civilians.

"Civilian" specifically means not a member of the armed forces. They might be CITIZENS of the country but by no definition are they civilians.

The premise of this scenario is a bit messed up though. Civilian lives should be protected against targeted strikes regardless if they are "on the side of the enemy" or not. Some exceptions might be made if they are working at legitimate targets, such as manufacturing plants for munitions and weapons.

Otherwise it is inherently unethical and immoral (and counter to international law) to just target innocent populations.

So without further context it is more ethical to lose the 1500 soldiers than to target any civilians without any sort of justifiable cause.

Also in the long-term makes relations between the two sides more amenable. Countries tend to hold grudges when you just kill their citizens for no reason