Even the nicest mass murderer is still a mass murderer.

I don't think the US did mass murder in Afghanistan. This was part of the problem. The Romans would have just made a population reduction of XX% per year and things would have been fine. I think you should put your judgement into perspective.

Decimation in the original sense of the word?

Yes. But decimation, as far as I know, was something the Romans did to their own divisions for "unsatisfactory" services. But regarding Afghanistan, if you crucify a few thousand men, women and children every day for the smallest offence, resistance breaks fast.

"...if you crucify a few thousand men, women and children every day for the smallest offence, resistance breaks fast."

You would know this, how? Look at the butchery in Syria and tell me how people respond to genocidal despots.

Ou dear. The looses in Syria a minimal.

By the way, the losses of the US in the Vietnam war were minimal too. They lost 60.000 People. In the 10 years or what, I assume they lost more people in traffic accidents and suicides. Just to put numbers a little bit into perspective.