A hypothetical question:

Does saving lives really justify torture? Imagine, on the eve of an American attack on a Al Qaeda terrorist camp in the remote mountains of Afghanistan, a small troop of American Green Berets are waylaid by an IED. The Al Qaeda capture a young Green Beret Lieutenant, wounded but still alive. If that courageous US soldier was tortured by those evil Al Qaeda terrorists in order to learn the details of the coming raid against them, could the terrorists' use of enhanced interrogation techniques be considered not criminal? Because the Green Berets want to kill them and if they knew when the attack would come they could to save the lives of many Al Qaeda? Does not the Al Qaeda commander have the same moral duty to protect the lives of his people that US officers have? Remember, the Al Qaeda commander, if captured and tried, will testify that he only tortured the Green Beret to save lives...