Government forces have been attacked by heavily armed paramilitary groups in several villages.
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This term paramilitary can take in a wide range of organizations, but is usually applied to forces formed by a government. Groups opposing a government, even when organized along military lines, are more often referred to as guerrillas or insurgents. In countries with weak central governments (such as, in recent times, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, or Congo), warlords may form their own paramilitary forces and take over all local police and military functions. Paramilitary often has a sinister sound today, since it's also applied to groups of off-duty military or police personnel who carry out illegal violence, often at night, with the quiet support of a government.
1935
: of or relating to a group that is not an official army but that operates and is organized like an army
See words that rhyme with paramilitary Nglish: Translation of paramilitary for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of paramilitary for Arabic speakers
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