Osama bin Laden and the Taliban are trying to claim that we're at war with Islam and the Afghan people. By dropping food to the refugees, we're directly refuting that claim. If people see the food packets and begin questioning the Taliban, that undermines their authority more directly than any cruise missile. It also helps in our dealings with other Islamic nations. I can't think of a single other instance in history where food was dropped to the people at the same time bombs were dropped on their government.

Like I've written several times before, this is one struggle where winning the hearts and minds of the populace is at least as important as the military objectives. Refugee camps are the breeding grounds for future terrorists. If we can convince those people that we aren't the ones causing their suffering, we'll go a long way towards preventing them from trying to attack us in the future. This is a different kind of war and requires different tactics.