insurgency
noun
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Insurgencies fall into the category of "irregular warfare", since an insurgency normally lacks the organization of a revolution, even though it has the same aims. Revolutions often begin within a country's armed forces, whereas insurgencies often arise in remote areas, where they gain strength slowly by winning the confidence of rural populations. An insurgency may be based on ethnic or religious identity, or its roots may be basically political or economic. Since insurgencies are rarely strong enough to face a national army head-on, insurgents (often called guerrillas) tend to use such tactics as bombing, kidnapping, hostage taking, and hijacking.
Examples of insurgency in a Sentence
Sophia Saifi, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Pakistan and Afghanistan have accused each other of supporting antigovernment insurgencies in each other’s countries.
—Mushtaq Yusufzai, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025
Also, insurgencies on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border have frustrated both countries.
—Abdul Sattar and Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2025
Ankara also recently struck a ceasefire deal to quell the decades-long insurgency waged by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from Syria and Iraq.
—Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for insurgency
Cite this Entry
“Insurgency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/insurgency. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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insurgency
noun
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