If the aim of military action is to bring a recalcitrant population to heel (as it usually is) then mitigating collateral damage runs counter to that aim.
The "aim of military action" is generally the defeat of the enemy. To "bring a recalcitrant population to heel" is not generally the goal, but part of a much wider strategy. Multiple targets to defeat the enemy are generally undertaken simultaneously.....head to head confrontation establishing lines of control....disabling the enemies command and control...disrupting rear area operations including reserves, ammunitions, supply, and transportation forcing the enemy to move further back and lengthening his logistical lines. All this goes to the morale of the soldier. Including the population is not for the suffering of the population....but to cut the morale of the soldier. There is nothing more consuming of ones thoughts than wondering if your loved ones are suffering while you are in a foxhole....and if you are thinking of them, you are not focused on soldiering.....and if you are not focused on soldiering, then you make mistakes....the more mistakes you make, the likliehood you become a casualty.