And yet even today the military still studies the 'ancients' for their techniques of war and in some cases find brilliant strategies. Like dumping the negotiators in a very deep pit...
The "official" Government line here is that the Captains life was in imminent danger. Gun being held to his back and all that. But it could have been little more than they had a shot, took it, and justified the action by deeming it an "imminent danger" situation. Regardless of the facts either way, they did what needed to be done. Could they have done it sooner than four days into the saga? We'll never know for sure.