New Delhi:
A surgical strike is a military attack which results in or is claimed to have resulted in only damage to the intended legitimate military target, and no or minimal collateral damage to surrounding structures, vehicles, buildings, or the general public infrastructure and utilities.
Precision bombing is an apt example of a surgical strike carried out by fighter aircraft's. Its aim is different from carpet bombing as the latter results in high collateral damage and a wide range of destruction over an affected area which may or may not include high civilian casualties.
Surgical strikes by the US Air force were used to great effect in bombing of Baghdad during the initial stages of the 2003 Iraq War.
A well-used combat doctrine in recent times has been the Shock and Awe tactic, which is an example of a coordinated surgical strike.
In Shock and Awe tactic, 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.
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