counterinsurgency

English

Etymology

From counter- +‎ insurgency.

Noun

counterinsurgency (countable and uncountable, plural counterinsurgencies)

1. Any political or military action taken to defeat insurgency, especially during guerrilla warfare.

   The United States will continue to pursue a military and civilian counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan.

   • 2012 November 9, Michael D. Shear, “Petraeus Quits; Evidence of Affair Was Found by F.B.I.”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     Mr. Petraeus almost single-handedly forced a profound evolution in the country’s military thinking and doctrine with his philosophy of counterinsurgency, focused more on protecting the civilian population than on killing enemies.

Synonyms

• COIN
• antiinsurgency
• pacification