Okay, I've got you.
Yes, of course. This is a part of what fourth-generation warfare is all about: that there is a base of public opinion at home and that you are going to try to erode that base of public opinion at home. Liberal democracies are particularly sensitive to that kind of operation because we do have--and we enjoy it as a privilege, and we must protect it--freedom of the press. But what it means is that, for example, when we make mistakes, if one of our soldiers inadvertently shoots at Afghan policemen or if members of the Afghan National Army are killed by our friendly fire, these are headlines in our newspapers. It's an inevitable part of this kind of dirty war that we are involved in; our public opinion is the most important strategic target the other side has. If they can break our public will then they will have won the victory they seek. It's as simple as that. They can beat us at home, even if they can't defeat us in the field.