Topic: Pakistan army extra judicial killing video

[Pugnate]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11455858

So it seems they were executing Taliban people.

But these victims were unarmed and had obviously been captured. So, opinions? Don't they deserve a trial?

[Xessive]

It's situations like this that make me think about what distinguishes the "good guys" from the "bag guys." It eventually turns into a huge philosophical discourse.

Assuming the video is real, I believe there should have been a trial. If even one of those men was innocent of the crimes then the executioners are deemed murderers. Isn't the point of having a trial to avoid premature errors like that? It is meant to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt whether the accused is indeed guilty or innocent.

[Cobra951]

I am not going to watch that.  I assume it's atrocious looking.  War is a horrible thing, which takes its grim toll on the innocent.  Apparently, it is also a necessary thing every so often.  Not everyone can have their way, and when extremism creeps in as a result of a group not getting their way for long enough, someone has to prevail, and someone has to die.  I don't know how to answer hard questions like this one.  On the one hand, you don't want to kill innocents intentionally.  On the other, you can't fight a war with both hands tied behind your back.