Surgical strike: Difference between revisions
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{{citation|last=Weeks|first=Albert L.|title=The Choice of War: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9O4SR7R11vcC&pg=PA54|date=25 November 2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-08184-2|pages=54–}} |
{{citation|last=Weeks|first=Albert L.|title=The Choice of War: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9O4SR7R11vcC&pg=PA54|date=25 November 2009|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-08184-2|pages=54–}} |
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=== '''India''' === |
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On 29 September 2016, teams of [[Indian Army]] commandos crossed the [[Line of Control]] into [[Azad Kashmir|Pakistani-administered Kashmir]] to attack targets up to a kilometre within territory held by Pakistan. The raid occurred ten days after four [[militants]] had [[2016 Uri attack|attacked an Indian army outpost]] at [[Uri, Jammu and Kashmir|Uri]] on 18th September 2016 in the Indian state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], and killed 19 soldiers. Estimates of casualties from India's cross-border attack varied widely, with figures of 12 to 70 being reported. The Pakistani government eventually acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to nine, while one Indian soldier was captured. |
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The Indian Government termed the attack a [[surgical strike]] against "militant launch pads" in Pakistani territory, and claimed to have inflicted "significant casualties". [[Pakistan]] rejected India's claim, and instead initially claimed that Indian troops did not cross the Line of Control and had only skirmished with Pakistani troops at the border, although it subsequently admitted to having captured an Indian soldier. Pakistani security sources reported that at least eight Indian soldiers were killed in the exchange, and one was captured. India confirmed that one of its soldiers was in Pakistani custody, but denied that it was linked to the incident or that any of its soldiers had been killed. [[Pakistan]] said [[India]] was hiding its casualties. |
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===United States=== |
===United States=== |
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Revision as of 10:58, 19 December 2023
A surgical strike is a military attack which is intended to damage only a legitimate military target, with no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, or the general public infrastructure and utilities.[1]
Description
A swift and targeted attack with the aim of minimum collateral damage to the nearby areas and civilians is a surgical strike. Neutralization of targets with surgical strikes also prevents escalation to a full-blown war. Surgical strike attacks can be carried out via air strike, airdropping special ops teams or a swift ground operation or by sending special troops.
Precision bombing is another example of a surgical strike carried out by aircraft – it can be contrasted against carpet bombing, the latter which results in high collateral damage and a wide range of destruction over an affected area which may or may not include high civilian casualties. The bombing of Baghdad during the initial stages of the 2003 invasion of Iraq by US forces, known as "shock and awe" is an example of a coordinated surgical strike, where government buildings and military targets were systematically attacked by US aircraft in an attempt to cripple the Ba'athist controlled Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein.
Examples
Azerbaijan
On October 14, 2020, Azerbaijan carried out surgical strikes against Armenian forces and destroyed three R-17 Elbrus tactical ballistic missile launchers in Kalbajar District, de jure part of Azerbaijan, but under de facto independent Artsakh's control.[2] According to Azerbaijan, the missile launchers had been targeting Ganja and Mingachevir, and the strike was in retaliation of the 11 October Ganja ballistic missile attack, which resulted in ten civilians getting killed[3] and 40 more getting injured, with women and children being among the victims.[4] Armenia confirmed that sites within Armenia had been struck while continuing to deny it had attacked Azerbaijan.[5]
Israel
Israel's Entebbe raid in 1976, through which Israeli passengers were freed from a hijacked plane that landed in Uganda, is considered a successful surgical strike. Even though it did not involve taking out a specific military target, the operation was carried out deep inside foreign territory and the IDF commandos travelled 5,000 miles from start to finish without engaging any other forces or causing any collateral damage to the country where the operation took place, thus befitting the term.[6]
Israel's 1981 bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak is considered a prime example of a surgical strike.[7]
India
On 29 September 2016, teams of Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control into Pakistani-administered Kashmir to attack targets up to a kilometre within territory held by Pakistan. The raid occurred ten days after four militants had attacked an Indian army outpost at Uri on 18th September 2016 in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, and killed 19 soldiers. Estimates of casualties from India's cross-border attack varied widely, with figures of 12 to 70 being reported. The Pakistani government eventually acknowledged the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to nine, while one Indian soldier was captured.
The Indian Government termed the attack a surgical strike against "militant launch pads" in Pakistani territory, and claimed to have inflicted "significant casualties". Pakistan rejected India's claim, and instead initially claimed that Indian troops did not cross the Line of Control and had only skirmished with Pakistani troops at the border, although it subsequently admitted to having captured an Indian soldier. Pakistani security sources reported that at least eight Indian soldiers were killed in the exchange, and one was captured. India confirmed that one of its soldiers was in Pakistani custody, but denied that it was linked to the incident or that any of its soldiers had been killed. Pakistan said India was hiding its casualties.
United States
The 1986 bombing of targets in the Libyan cities of Tripoli and Benghazi were carried out using surgical strike tactics, with both ground-based and carrier-based attack aircraft striking airports, barracks, and military training centers.[8][9] The stated goals of the attack were to cripple Libya's ability to train and support terrorists, but it has been rumored that the attack was also an assassination attempt on Muammar Gaddafi.[citation needed]
The United States carried out numerous surgical strikes against Al-Qaeda targets in Afghanistan using cruise missiles. It also used the same technology against a purported chemical weapons facility in Sudan.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Shultz, Richard H. Jr.; Pfaltzgraff, Robert L., eds. (1992). The Future of Air Power: In the Aftermath of the Gulf War. DIANE Publishing. ISBN 1-58566-046-9.
- ^ "Legitimate military targets that have taken the civilian population of Azerbaijan under the gunpoint were neutralized". Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence. 14 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Dettmer, Jamie (12 October 2020). "Why is Azerbaijan Fighting?". Voice of America. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Melimopoulos, Elizabeth; Alsaafin, Linah (11 October 2020). "Nagorno-Karabakh truce frays as both sides allege attacks: Live". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Sultanova, Aida (11 October 2020). "Azerbaijan, Armenia report shelling of cities despite truce". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
- ^ Sandler, Stanley (2002), Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, pp. 264–265, ISBN 978-1-57607-344-5
- ^ Weeks, Albert L. (25 November 2009), The Choice of War: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition: The Iraq War and the Just War Tradition, ABC-CLIO, pp. 54–, ISBN 978-0-313-08184-2
- ^ Ball, Gregory (March 1999). "1986 - Operation El Dorado Canyon". Air Force Historical Support Division. United States Air Force. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Operation El Dorado Canyon". GlobalSecurity.org. Global Security. 7 May 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ Cilluffo, Frank J.; Cardash, Sharon L.; Lederman, Gordon Nathaniel (2001), Combating Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Terrorism: A Comprehensive Strategy : a Report of the CSIS Homeland Defense Project, CSIS, pp. 13–, ISBN 978-0-89206-389-5