Counter-insurgency is the combatting of insurgency, by the government (or allies) of the territory in which the insurgency takes place. It therefore falls somewhere between ordinary policing, on the one hand, and conventional warfare on the other. Counter-insurgency is normally conducted as a combination of conventional military operations and other means, such as Propaganda, Psy-Ops, and assassinations. Counter-insurgency operations include many different facades military, paramilitary, political, economic, psychological, and civic actions taken to defeat insurgency. Jump to: navigation, search An insurgency is an armed rebellion by any irregular armed force that rises up against an established authority, government, administration or occupation. ... Jump to: navigation, search North Korean propaganda showing a soldier destroying the United States Capitol building. ... Jump to: navigation, search A paramilitary organization is a group of civilians trained and organized in a military fashion. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... Psychology (ancient Greek: psyche = soul and logos = word) is the study of mind, thought, and behaviour. ... Jump to: navigation, search An insurgency is an armed rebellion by any irregular armed force that rises up against an established authority, government, administration or occupation. ...

The term began to be used by the U.S. Army in the Autumn of 2004 to describe ongoing operations in Iraq and related operations as far back as the Vietnam War. The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies—notably the United States...

As used by the U.S. Army, counter insurgency operations include psychological warfare and information warfare aspects of such operations, which include direct interference in a country's politics and media or the spread of disinformation (the civilian equivalent of military deception) to maintain control of a population. The U.S. Department of Defense defines psychological warfare (PSYWAR) as: The planned use of propaganda and other psychological actions having the primary purpose of influencing the opinions, emotions, attitudes, and behavior of hostile foreign groups in such a way as to support the achievement of national objectives. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Look up Politics on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Politics (disambiguation) Democracy History of democracy List of democracy and elections-related topics List of years in politics List of politics by country articles Political corruption Political economy Political movement Political parties of the world Political party Political psychology Political sociology Political... Disinformation, in the context of espionage, military intelligence, and propaganda, is the spreading of deliberately false information to mislead an enemy as to ones position or course of action. ... Military deception is an attempt to amplify, or create an artificial, fog of war or to mislead the enemy using psychological operations, information warfare and other methods. ...

Controversy

Counter-insurgency tactics are often controversial, sometimes involving human rights abuses and violations of civil liberties, such as internment, detention of familiy members of suspected insurgents as de facto hostages, extra-judicial killing of civilians and prisoners and torture. Tactics similar to those of guerrilla warfare and insurgency are sometimes used by the governments themselves, such as assassinations of suspected insurgents, extra-judicial executions of suspected insurgent sympathisers and irregular paramilitary operations by covert operatives who may not wear uniforms. The word internment is generally used to refer to the imprisonment or confinement of people, generally in prison camps or prisons, without due process of law and a trial. ... A hostage is an entity which is held by a captor in order to compel another party to act or refrain from acting in a particular way. ... Jump to: navigation, search It has been suggested that Death by Rugging be merged into this article or section. ... Jump to: navigation, search Guerrilla War redirects here. ... Jump to: navigation, search An insurgency is an armed rebellion by any irregular armed force that rises up against an established authority, government, administration or occupation. ...

In many conflicts, counter-insurgency operations kill more civilians than the insurgents themselves, especially when the insurgents have a large support base among the civilian population. Examples of this include the US anti-insurgency operation in Iraq, Israeli counter-insurgency during the occupations of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Lebanon, and many anti-British colonial uprisings. Jump to: navigation, search Iraqi militants celebrating orders that the surrounding Coalition forces were given to stand-down. ...

It could also be argued that in US President George W. Bush's War on Terrorism, US and allied armed forces have by far killed more civilians than Al Qaeda, the Iraqi resistance and allied anti-US Islamist militants. According to Iraq Body Count, over 3,500 civilians were killed by anti-US paramilitaries between September 2001 and November 2003, compared to over 3000 civilians killed in Afghanistan and at least 10,000 killed in Iraq by US and allied forces. [1]. The Lancet journal subsequently estimated 98,000 (8000-194000) civilians died as a result of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and reported civilians deaths according to Iraq Body Count now exceed 25,000. Most (over a third) are attributed to US and allied forces, a similiar amount to common criminals and only 9% to the insurgents. [2]. Jump to: navigation, search wanker ... Jump to: navigation, search Osama bin Laden. ... Jump to: navigation, search Osama bin Laden Ayman al-Zawahiri Al-Qaeda (Arabic: , al-Qā‘idah; the foundation or the base) is the name given to an international Islamic fundamentalist campaign comprised of independent and collaborative cells that all profess the same cause of reducing outside influence upon Islamic affairs. ... Jump to: navigation, search Iraqi militants celebrating orders that the surrounding Coalition forces were given to stand-down. ... Islamism is a political ideology derived from the conservative religious views of Muslim fundamentalism. ... A lancet is a medical instrument, similar to a scalpel but with a double-edged blade. ...

An exception to this rule appears to be the most recent 1970s-1998 Troubles in Northern Ireland, in which Provisional IRA guerrillas are said to have killed the most people, including the most civilians, when compared to the British security forces and Loyalist paramilitaries. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... In general, a loyalist is an individual who is loyal to the powers that be. ...

Notable British counter-insurgency operations occurred during the difficult process of decolonization: for example, the Mau-Mau emergency in Kenya, and the Malayan Emergency. The Troubles in Northern Ireland can also be seen in this light. Jump to: navigation, search Colonialism in 1945 Decolonization is the process by which a colony gains its independence from a colonial power, a process opposite to colonization. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Malayan Emergency was an insurrection and guerrilla war of the Malay Races Liberation Army against the British and Malayan administration from 1948-1960 in what is now Malaysia. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto: Quis separabit (Latin: Who will separate?) Northern Irelands location within the UK Official languages English, Irish, Ulster Scots Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Area  - Total Ranked 4th 13,843 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 4th 1,685,267...

The U.S. military and allied South Vietnamese security forces conducted counter-insurgency opperations against Vietcong guerrillas during the Vietnam War, including the notorious Operation Phoenix which resulted in the killing of thousands of civilians accused of being Vietcong sympathisers or relatives of sympathisers. For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... Distinguish from the type of ape called a gorilla. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies—notably the United States... The Phoenix Program, known as Kế Hoạch Phụng Hoàng (a word related to fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix) in Vietnamese, was a covert intelligence operation undertaken by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in close collaboration with South Vietnamese intelligence during the Vietnam War. ...

The U.S., British and allied occupation forces and the Iraqi security forces are currently engaging in a counter-insurgency operation against various Iraqi guerrilla groups opposed to the presence of foreign troops and the current elected Iraqi government. For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... Jump to: navigation, search Iraqi militants celebrating orders that the surrounding Coalition forces were given to stand-down. ...

Tactics

Draining The Water

The name of this tactic is taken from Mao Zedong's advice to his guerillas to "move through the people like a fish moves through water". Jump to: navigation, search Mao Zedong ▶(?) (December 26, 1893 – September 9, 1976; Mao Tse-tung in Wade-Giles) was the chairman of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China from 1943 and the chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China from 1945 until his death. ... Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ...

It involves the often forced relocation of the population ("water") to drown the guerillas or insurgents ("fish"). That is to deprive them of the support and resources of the local population. Guerrilla (also called a partisan) is a term borrowed from Spanish (from guerra meaning war) used to describe small combat groups. ... An insurgency is an armed rebellion against a constituted authority, by any irregular armed force that rises up against an enforced or established authority, government, or administration. ...

COIN Aircraft

Since the 1960s, a specialized form of close air support has been developed for counter-insurgency operations. This covers a wide range of operations, from ground attack and observation to light transport and casualty evacuation. An aircraft used for counter-insurgency should ideally be able to perform all these roles. Such an aircraft should have low loitering speed, long endurance, simplicity in maintenance, and the capability to make short take-offs and landings from rough frontline airstrips. Jump to: navigation, search The 1960s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. ... Close air support (often abbreviated CAS) is the use of military aircraft in a ground attack role against targets in close proximity to friendly troops, in support of ground combat operations. ...

At first (particularly during the Vietnam War) counter-insurgency missions were flown by existing airplanes and helicopters hastily adapted for the role, notably the Douglas A-1 Skyraider. Later, more specialized counter-insurgency (or COIN) aircraft began to appear, such as: Jump to: navigation, search The Vietnam War or Second Indochina War was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN, or North Vietnam), allied with the National Liberation Front (NLF, or Viet Cong) against the Republic of Vietnam (RVN, or South Vietnam), and its allies—notably the United States... Jump to: navigation, search The Douglas AD (later A-1) Skyraider was a US single-seat attack bomber of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s, a propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age with a remarkably long and successful career. ...

• Britten-Norman Defender (UK)
• BAC Strikemaster (UK)
• Cessna A-37 Dragonfly (USA)
• Rockwell OV-10 Bronco (USA)
• FMA IA 58 Pucará (Argentina)

BN-2B Islander II operated by Ryukyu Air Commuter The Britten-Norman Islander (also known as the BN-2) is a light utility aircraft manufactured by Britten-Norman of Britain. ... The BAC 167 Strikemaster was a light jet-powered attack aircraft. ... T-37s in formation One of the most prominent of the trainer-attack type aircraft is the Cessna T-37/A-37, known in various forms as the Tweety Bird, Tweet, Dragonfly, or Super Tweet. ... Jump to: navigation, search The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is a turboprop-driven light attack and cargo aircraft. ... The FMA IA 58 Pucará is a twin-engined counter-insurgency (COIN) aircraft made in Argentina, flown for the first time on August 20, 1969. ...

See also

• Internally displaced people
• Robert Thompson (counter-insurgency expert)

A displaced person (sometimes abbreviated DP) is the general term for someone who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration. ... Sir Robert Thompson is/was a British counter-insurgency expert. ...

External Links

• British Counter Insurgency Strategy