Reply #49: Really? Don't the Geneva Conventions dictate the laws of war?

[PunkPop]

According to the Geneva Conventions:

• Civilians are not to be subject to attack. This includes direct attacks on civilians and indiscriminate attacks against areas in which civilians are present.

http://www.genevaconventions.org/

Now, soldiers might be able to claim just about anything to avoid punishment, but civilians are most certainly not 'nothing more' than collateral damage. The Geneva Conventions have specific rules to protect them (and journalists).

Also, I don't think there's anything about a soldier's word being the final say. I believe there are mechanisms for discovering the truth of a particular wartime occurence.