counterinsurgency
noun
coun·ter·in·sur·gen·cy
ˌkau̇n-tər-in-ˈsər-jən(t)-sē 
: organized military activity designed to combat insurgency
Examples of counterinsurgency in a Sentence
The military has launched a counterinsurgency.
Recent Examples on the Web
Israel will have to deploy military strategies drawn from long-war paradigms alongside a multiyear counterinsurgency campaign that also leverages diplomatic, informational, and economic tools.
—
Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2023
The same was true of agents with the F.S.B. and the OMON, an intelligence and counterinsurgency agency, who took over the central administration building and courthouse.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Easy conquests ended in long, vicious counterinsurgency campaigns against local militias and radical Islamist fighters who knew the territory, who lived among the population and who did not obey the Geneva Convention or the rules of war.
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
That led to almost a decade of Sikh militancy and counterinsurgency operations, conducted by the Indian Armed Forces, which cost, on conservative estimates, around thirty thousand lives.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
Back in India, the aggressive counterinsurgency, as well as movement infighting, led most major militant factions to collapse by the mid-1990s, but the movement never actually died, says Mr. Singh.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2023
And in counterinsurgency operations, Indian security forces were accused of a multitude of human rights abuses.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 6 Oct. 2023
The exit from Niger, a centerpiece in Paris’s anti-terrorist activities, is an especially hard blow for France, whose counterinsurgency operations in the Sahel region are likely to weaken.
—Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023
But there is also widespread fear, particularly since the period of counterinsurgency, of the Indian authorities using indiscriminate force to eliminate Sikh youth and also using the judicial and state processes arbitrarily.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
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Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 Nov. 2023
The same was true of agents with the F.S.B. and the OMON, an intelligence and counterinsurgency agency, who took over the central administration building and courthouse.
—James Verini Paolo Pellegrin, New York Times, 1 Nov. 2023
Easy conquests ended in long, vicious counterinsurgency campaigns against local militias and radical Islamist fighters who knew the territory, who lived among the population and who did not obey the Geneva Convention or the rules of war.
—Steven Erlanger, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2023
That led to almost a decade of Sikh militancy and counterinsurgency operations, conducted by the Indian Armed Forces, which cost, on conservative estimates, around thirty thousand lives.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
Back in India, the aggressive counterinsurgency, as well as movement infighting, led most major militant factions to collapse by the mid-1990s, but the movement never actually died, says Mr. Singh.
—Aakash Hassan, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Sep. 2023
And in counterinsurgency operations, Indian security forces were accused of a multitude of human rights abuses.
—Rhea Mogul, CNN, 6 Oct. 2023
The exit from Niger, a centerpiece in Paris’s anti-terrorist activities, is an especially hard blow for France, whose counterinsurgency operations in the Sahel region are likely to weaken.
—Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023
But there is also widespread fear, particularly since the period of counterinsurgency, of the Indian authorities using indiscriminate force to eliminate Sikh youth and also using the judicial and state processes arbitrarily.
—Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'counterinsurgency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1962, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of counterinsurgency was
in 1962
Dictionary Entries Near counterinsurgency
Cite this Entry
“Counterinsurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/counterinsurgency. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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