Taiwanese troops prepare for urban warfare with PLA in latest drill
- Soldiers fire at each other from houses and sandbag barricades in mock-up town during simulated battle
- Island lives under threat of invasion from Beijing, which has ramped up military and diplomatic pressure
Taiwanese troops and armoured vehicles were deployed on Thursday for a mock urban street battle in the latest drill preparing forces against mainland China, which has long vowed to take the island.
On Thursday, soldiers from two platoons faced off in a simulated battle, firing at each other from houses and sandbag barricades as tanks rolled down a street in a mock-up town complete with signs for pharmacies and beer brands.
Urban warfare has become an increasingly key training subject for the military.
“Any future battle to protect Taiwan will be an urban warfare,” Kiwi Yang, an instructor at the Army Infantry School, told reporters, noting that most of Taiwan’s 23 million people live in cities.
“The Chinese communist troops’ battle plans will be invading and landing firstly from coastal towns, then the fighting will progress into more populated residential and commercial areas and lastly push into mountainous villages,” he added.
With mountain ranges, changeable weather and limited beach landings, invading Taiwan would be a herculean challenge for any military.
Taiwan recorded sorties by around 970 Chinese military aircraft last year, according to a database compiled by Agence France-Presse, more than double some 380 carried out in 2020.
Beijing has also publicised multiple military drills simulating an invasion of the island.