He raised that point on two different threads but no one answered his vitriol, notwithstanding in a tribal warfare, all able-bodied(adulthood in general) males are considered combatants. Pakistani army are bombing tribal combatants(Taliban) indiscriminately, in Anbar US strikes kill 100's of IS fighters in Iraq weekly, but the tribes (who see IS as their way of kicking out the iraqi militias of a certain sect) just pump in 100's of more adult fighters.
Many 11 and 12 years old boys are fighting against U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq, has anybody in the international media considered the killing by U.S. and secular Pakistani establishment a massacre of tribal children? Nope, simply in Army they say when an adult take up arms, he should be abe to take a bullet.
Note: Not exonerating U.S. and Pakistani establishment from the massacre of tribal children and women.