AP Photo

Last July 27, about three months after the Obama administration unveiled its new comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and three weeks before the date of the Afghan presidential election, which took place this past Thursday, the Taliban published a book outlining a code of conduct for its members. The book – which contains 13 chapters and 67 articles – contains a list of do’s and don’ts, and imposes strict conditions when it comes to the killing of civilians.

While American military officials derided this code of conduct as a propaganda tool and not something the Taliban would actually implement, they missed the key point...