Why US troops ‘flattened’ Raqqa and Mosul, and why it may herald an era of ‘feral city’ warfare

[TomSea]

Why US troops ‘flattened’ Raqqa and Mosul, and why it may herald an era of ‘feral city’ warfare
Kyle Rempfer

The U.S. military’s biggest successes against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria involved uprooting the militants first from Mosul, Iraq, and then Raqqa, Syria.

But those operations are also catching the most flak for what many human rights groups and international organizations viewed as a callous use of artillery and air power that killed too many civilians.

The battles, as terrible as they were, serve as an important bellwether that may mark a new era of urban warfare involving mega-cities, according to retired Army Maj. John W. Spencer, chair of Urban Warfare Studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute.

Read more at: https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2019/04/29/why-us-troops-flattened-raqqa-and-mosul-and-what-it-means-for-future-fights/

[dfwgator]

Didn't they learn anything from Stalingrad?

Bombing a city to rubble, just makes it easier to defend.

[Sanguine]

Feral cities are major urban sprawls that lack adequate governance. Warlords, gangs or terror groups occupy a maze of concrete that largely blocks GPS links, radio communications and aircraft sensors. U.S. troops are forced to seek and destroy the enemy in an environment filled with sewage, failing infrastructure and even packs of wild dogs.