Counterinsurgency
Military operation aimed at defeating insurgent forces / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Counterinsurgency (COIN, NATO spelling Counter-insurgency[1]) is "the totality of actions aimed at defeating irregular forces".[2] The Oxford English Dictionary defines counterinsurgency as any "military or political action taken against the activities of guerrillas or revolutionaries"[3] and can be considered war by a state against a non-state adversary.[4] Insurgency and counterinsurgency campaigns have been waged since ancient history. However, modern thinking on counterinsurgency was developed during decolonization.[4] Within the military sciences, counterinsurgency is one of the main operational approaches of irregular warfare.[5]
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During insurgency and counterinsurgency, the distinction between civilians and combatants is often blurred.[6] Counterinsurgency may involve attempting to win the hearts and minds of populations supporting the insurgency.[7][8] Alternatively, it may be waged in an attempt to intimidate[4][9] or eliminate civilian populations suspected of loyalty to the insurgency through indiscriminate violence.[4][10]