The progress of modernisation has created an ever increasing number of population centres in the form of small and large towns and cities not only in the region around us but also the rest of the world. As more and more swamps and forests are cleared, the pace of urbanisation has gained rapid momentum. Built-up areas are beginning to envelope more and more areas. This development implies that urban warfare is becoming an increasingly more important aspect of military operations. Troops will encounter more built-up areas (BUA) along their axes of advance than ever before. When transformed into defensive positions or strong points, built-up areas will significantly hinder the progress of offensive operations and restrict oppurtunities for manoeuvre.

Historically, military strategies and tactics have always advocated that urban centres should be isolated or bypassed rather than risking costly lives, resources and time-consuming operations in BUA. However, in the present day context, fighting in BUA is unavoidable due to the nature of urban development.