There is some nuance. Assume for the sake of argument that the United States has a legitimate interest in fighting the Taliban. Within such an exercise I hope

There is some nuance. Assume for the sake of argument that the United States has a legitimate interest in fighting the Taliban. Within such an exercise I hope we could agree that there is a distinction between lawful violence and unlawful violence. People of goodwill can disagree about where to draw that distinction. But 'rules of engagement' is not a mealy-mouthed weasel word. It's how we describe this distinction. (It may be likely that you don't accept under any circumstance that the US has a legitimate interest in fighting the Taliban. That's fine but it's a different discussion.)