Then we are seen to do something and we create a more level playing field on the ground. With no lives risked.
Yep. We could be seen to be prolonging a war and creating even greater bloodshed - a fight to the end, with small arms, grenades and heavy calibre weapons, with lots of lives risked (only not our own)!!
The "West" have simply backed the wrong side on this, as we did in Egypt, in Libya and, arguably, in Iraq.