enemy combatant
English
Noun
enemy combatant (plural enemy combatants)
- Used other than as an idiom: see enemy, combatant.
- (US, military) Any person in an armed conflict who may be properly detained under the laws and customs of war.[1]
Quotations
For usage examples of this term, see the citations page.
Usage notes
The term 'enemy combatant' has historically referred to any member of the armed forces of a state with which another state is at war. In the 'war on terrorism', however, combatants may come from multiple nations, wear no uniforms, and use unconventional weapons; because they are not defined by simple, readily apparent criteria such as citizenship or military uniforms, the power of a state to name people 'enemy combatants' is, according to some legal scholars, extraordinarily broad.
Synonyms
Translations
anyone who may be properly detained under laws of war
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See also
Unlawful combatant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Unlawful combatant
References
- ^ JP 1-02 Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms