Counter-insurgency

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, targetted assassinations.

Related Topics:
Insurgency - Propaganda - Psy-Ops

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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 where uniforms.

Related Topics:
Internment - Hostage - Torture - Guerrilla warfare - Insurgency

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In many conflicts, counter-insurgency opperations 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 opperation in Iraq, Israeli counter-insurgency during the occupations of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Lebanon, and many anti-British colonial uprisings.

Related Topics:
US anti-insurgency opperation in Iraq - Israel - Gaza Strip - West Bank - Lebanon

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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 3500 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. http://www.iraqbodycount.net/editorial_feb0704.htm. The Lancet journal subsequently estimated 100,000 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 Coalition forces, a similiar amount to common criminals and only 9% to the insurgents.

Related Topics:
George W. Bush - War on Terrorism - Al Qaeda - Iraqi resistance - Islamist - Iraq Body Count - Lancet

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An exemption may 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.

Related Topics:
Troubles - Provisional IRA - Loyalist

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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.

Related Topics:
Kenya - Malayan Emergency - Northern Ireland

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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 murder of thousands of civilians accused of being Vietcong sympathisers or relatives of sympathisers.

Related Topics:
U.S. - Vietcong - Guerrilla - Vietnam War - Operation Phoenix - Sympathiser

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The U.S. and British occupation forces and allied Iraqi security forces are currently engaging in a counter-insurgency opperation against various Iraqi guerrilla groups opposed to the presence of foreign troops.

Related Topics:
U.S. - British - Various Iraqi guerrilla groups

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