Insurgency

UNDER the right circumstances guerilla forces have achieved dramatic success. Contributing factors include terrain, the attitude of the civilian population, the will of the government being challenged and the determination and skill of the fighters. Guerilla warfare can be likened to terrorism in that it is evidence of a lack of manpower, equipment or support to defeat an enemy in conventional fighting. Raids are launched to weaken an enemy’s ability to wage war while casualties inflicted demoralise the opposing force. Often the group will be supported by an outside source that sympathise with their aims. The enemy can adopt a “hit-and-run” approach and then conceal themselves within elements of the operational environment such as the civilian population, making things difficult for opposing forces.