guerrilla warfare: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos and Videos

Shiʿi militia fighter in Iraq

Henri, baron de Jomini

Jewish partisans

A masked person in military clothing stands in a desert landscape holding a black flag with white Arabic script associated with the Islamic State.

Epiktetos: Greek red-figure pottery

Rashīd al-Dīn: Mongol warriors from History of the World

Ilya Yefimovich Repin: Zaporozhian Cossacks

Engraved portrait of General Francis Marion in military uniform with epaulettes and a tricorn hat, facing slightly to the left.

South African War

Pancho Villa rides a horse at the front of a group of armed followers and horse-drawn wagons during a raid in a dusty, rural landscape, 1916.

See how the Viet Cong's successful guerrilla warfare pushed Lyndon Johnson toward the path of total war

Rise and fall of the Red Army Faction in West Germany

Examine the failure of U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland's strategy against the Viet Cong's guerrilla warfare

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

counterguerrilla warfare Jewish partisan guerrilla “Thisclose” to Peace in Colombia oil-spot strategy terrorism civil war commando war asymmetrical warfare Ethnic conflict special operations warfare cyberwar trench warfare Just war proxy war Feud electronic warfare Korean War Timeline tactics

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Mao Zedong smiling and waving with his right hand while standing outdoors in front of large lanterns and a crowd.

Mao Zedong

Chinese leader

Portrait of Giuseppe Garibaldi wearing a beret and cloak, with a full beard and mustache, looking toward the camera.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian revolutionary

T.E. Lawrence

British scholar and military officer

Josip Broz Tito, President of Yugoslavia, wearing a suit and tie, speaks at a podium with microphones during a conference in Belgrade.

Josip Broz Tito

president of Yugoslavia

Daniel Ortega

Daniel Ortega

president of Nicaragua

Che Guevara

Che Guevara

Argentine-Cuban revolutionary

Hassan Nasrallah

Hassan Nasrallah

Lebanese militia and political leader

Emiliano Zapata

Emiliano Zapata

Mexican revolutionary

Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden

Saudi Arabian militant and al-Qaeda leader

Yoweri Museveni, President of Uganda, speaks at a podium with the United Nations emblem during a meeting at the UN General Assembly.

Yoweri Museveni

president of Uganda

Marcos, Subcomandante

Subcomandante Marcos

Mexican leader

default image

Doku Umarov

Chechen separatist and guerrilla leader

“Apo”

Abdullah Öcalan

Kurdish militant leader

default image

Abimael Guzmán

Peruvian revolutionary

Abdul Ghani Baradar

Abdul Ghani Baradar

Islamic militant

Mohammad Omar

Mohammad Omar

emir of Afghanistan

default image

Jonas Savimbi

Angolan politician

Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen Giap in full military uniform with medals and a peaked cap, photographed in 1968.

Vo Nguyen Giap

Vietnamese general

Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa

Mexican revolutionary

Isaias Afwerki

Isaias Afwerki

president of Eritrea

Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)

World Wars