An enemy combatant has historically referred to members of the armed forces of the state with which another state is at war.^[1]

In the 1942 Supreme Court of the United States ruling Ex Parte Quirin the court used the following characterizations to distinguish between unlawful combatants and lawful combatants: The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the United States and leads the judicial branch of the United States federal government. ... Holding Court membership Case opinions Laws applied ... Ex parte Quirin, 317 U.S. 1 (1942) is a Supreme Court of the United States case that upheld the jurisdiction of a United States military tribunal over the trial of several German saboteurs in the United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A combatant (also referred to as an enemy combatant) is a soldier or guerrilla member who is waging war. ...

Unlawful combatants are likewise subject to capture and detention, but in addition they are subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals for acts which render their belligerency unlawful. The spy who secretly and without uniform passes the military lines of a belligerent in time of war, seeking to gather military information and communicate it to the enemy, or an enemy combatant who without uniform comes secretly through the lines for the purpose of waging war by destruction of life or property, are familiar examples of belligerents who are generally deemed not to be entitled to the status of prisoners of war, but to be offenders against the law of war subject to trial and punishment by military tribunals.

In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks the United States Congress passed a resolution known as the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) on September 18, 2001^[2]. In this, Congress invoked the War Powers Resolution. Using this authorization granted to him by Congress, on November 13, 2001, President Bush issued a Presidential Military Order: "Detention, Treatment, and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism"^[3]. The administration chose to call those who it detained under the Presidential Military Orders "enemy combatants". Since then the administration has formalized its usage of enemy combatant by using the term specifically for detained alleged members and supporters of al Qaida or the Taliban. For example The towers burn shortly after United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower on the right. ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148) limits the power of the President of the United States to wage war without the approval of the Congress. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American businessman and politician, was elected in 2000 as the 43rd President of the United States of America, re-elected in 2004, and is currently serving his second term in that office. ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... Flag flown by the Taliban. ...

Under the provisions of the Secretary of the Navy Memorandum Implementation of Combatant Status Review Tribunal Procedures for Enemy Combatant Detained at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Cuba ... An enemy combatant has been defined as "an individual who was part of or supporting the Taliban or al Qaida forces, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners. This includes any person who committed a belligerent act or has directly supported hostilities in aid of enemy armed forces." ^[4]

This lead has been followed by other parts of the Government and some section of the American news media. The result of this new usage means that the term "enemy combatant" has to be read in the context of the article in which it appears as to whether it means a member of the armed forces of an enemy state, or if it means an alleged member of al Qaida held prisoner by the United States. To meet Wikipedias quality standards and make it easier to understand, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Map of Cuba with location of Guantánamo Bay indicated. ...

"Enemy Combatant"^[5] is also the title of a book written by a British Muslim, Moazzam Begg, and co-written by Victoria Brittain, a former Associate Foreign Editor for the Guardian newspaper, about Begg's detention by the government of the United States of America in Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay. He was seized in Islamabad in February 2002, and after prolonged sessions of interrogation, he was released from detention on January 25, 2005, without charge or compensation or an apology. Moazzam Begg before speaking at a meeting about civil liberties Moazzam Begg (born 1968) is one of nine British men who were held at Camp X-Ray, Guantanamo Bay by the government of the United States of America. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Camp X-Ray, shown here under construction, was a temporary holding facility for detainees held at U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ... Islamabad (Urdu: اسلام آباد, abode of Islam), is the capital city of Pakistan, and is located in the Potohar Plateau in the northwest of the country. ... January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

1. ^ Detention of Enemy Combatants Act (Introduced in House) 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1076 March 3, 2005

   (8) The term 'enemy combatant' has historically referred to all of the citizens of a state with which the Nation is at war, and who are members of the armed force of that enemy state. Enemy combatants in the present conflict, however, come from many nations, wear no uniforms, and use unconventional weapons. Enemy combatants in the war on terrorism are not defined by simple, readily apparent criteria, such as citizenship or military uniform. And the power to name a citizen as an 'enemy combatant' is therefore extraordinarily broad. (Emphasis added)

2. ^ US Congress' joint resolution of September 18, 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force ("AUMF"); public law 107-40, 115 Stat. 224
3. ^ President George W. Bush's Military Order of November 13, 2001: Detention, Treatment, and Trial of Certain Non-Citizens in the War Against Terrorism; 66 FR 57833
4. ^ Summary of Evidence for Combatant Status Review Tribunal - Detainee Begg, Moazzam
5. ^ Yasmin Alibhai-Brown Review of Enemy Combatant, by Moazzam Begg with Victoria Brittain in The Independent 24 March 2006.

September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... The Independent is a British compact newspaper published by Tony OReillys Independent News & Media. ... March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ...

Further reading

• Daniel Torres An Examination of the Legal Rights of American Citizens Detained as Enemy Combatants in the War on Terror
• Read Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Enemy Combatants

Look up enemy combatant in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.