At a briefing with reporters Monday, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of the coalition war against ISIS, rejected calls to “carpet bomb” ISIS targets, calling it “inconsistent with our values.”

MacFarland said the United States does not indiscriminately strike targets that risk civilian casualties. Texas Senator Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz has repeatedly called for the carpet-bombing of ISIS militants in Iraq and Syria.

“We are bound by the law of armed conflict,” MacFarland said during the presser.

“At the end of the day it doesn’t only matter if you win,” he said. “It’s how you win.”

—Nancy A. Youssef