"Insurgents" in Iraq

[Barquentine]

Why are the perpetrators in Iraq called "insurgents"? Is it assumed they are all from places and organisations external to Iraq?

[Lonnie]

This explains it very well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurgency

[jake-the-peg]

I'm not sure it does.

Read the discussion tab on this page and you'll see a wide debate on the political overtones of the term.

It's used to emphasise the violence as being against a legitimate authority - I'm pretty sure this term was being widely used before the elections.

It's a term rife with political imlication

[kwicky]

The fact that the coalition forces are under continual attack by the Iraqis suggest they must be viewed as the insurgents.

[jake-the-peg]

Oh I see so when the Russians were in Afghanistan and the Afghans were continually attacking them, that must mean that the Afghans were insurgents then?

Or not

[kwicky]

Sorry, badly put...I meant from Iraqi eyes many believe that the coalition are the insurgents. They just want them out!