Quote from AAAintheBeltway:
Interesting moral dilemma. Certainly in WW II no thought was given to civilian casualities. Times have changed. I think in real life, a distinction would be made between innocent civilians and those aligned with al qaeda or insurgents. Of course, you have used the hypothetical of children to render that distinction moot, but in a war zone, collateral damage is inevitable.
I recall reading an article which said that Clinton's CIA had isolated bin Laden at a remote training camp in Afghanistan and was prepared to assault the camp and hopefully grab him or at least kill him. There were children and families in the camp, although presumably belonging to terrorists. At the 11th hour, Clinton called off the attack because of the fear that children would be killed. I suppose you would agree with his decision, but most would now regard it as soft-headed.