Don't forget there are stories coming out of Basra (which may or may not be true) of people being shot because they tried to leave the city.

You've got some valid points. But again, because it's the Iraqi's that are putting their civilians in the line of fire, it's *they* who are ultimately responsible for collateral damage caused by civilians being too close to the fighting. If the Republican Guard isn't letting them leave so they can use them as human shields, then it's the Republican Guard that's increasing their risk of being killed. Ultimately, the best strategy is to try to avoid any civilian areas, but when we go into them, we can't let the Iraqis take any combat options away from us.

Look I'm not saying that I want to see more innocents dead. But I do think that the Iraqi army is trying to use our sensitivities against us by putting these human shields in our way, pretending to surrender, etc. In times of war, we need to suspend those sensitivities until the job is done, lest the Iraqi army have an advantage, draw the war out longer, and, yes, lead to more deaths on both sides.