The Destructive Age of Urban Warfare; or, How to Kill a City and How to Protect It
John Spencer | March 28, 2019
Combat in urban areas is the most destructive type of warfare imaginable. Densely populated terrain, complex systems of systems that support human life, military weapons not optimized to these conditions, and asymmetric close-quarters battle tactics all make warfare in cities unforgiving for combatants, noncombatants, and cities alike. The unintentional—and at times intentional—destruction of the physical terrain, populations, and infrastructure of cities during combat leave effects that can be felt for generations.
Media coverage of military operations in cities often features the term “destroy.†For instance, recent headlines about urban combat in cities across the Middle East included:
Mosul Is Completely Destroyed
“Totally destroyedâ€: East Aleppo a year after battle
Raqqa: a city destroyed then forgotten
https://mwi.usma.edu/destructive-age-urban-warfare-kill-city-protect/
