Dropping bombs on non Talibans has not won many hearts & minds for a
start....

It's more likely the expression of frustrations in failing societies
that you're getting. I'm sure 99% of Pakistanis still want that green
card. My father's neighborhood was often visited by 8th AF B-17s that
were going after railway hubs, resulting in some civilian casualties
on the ground. It never was too much of an issue, rather, some locals
with balls would themselves contribute to even more destructions.

It's not a matter of hearts and minds. A shared cause requires all
parties to benefit, and if only measued by the amount of cash handed
out to some tribes, it's a bad start.