Unlawful combatants

Unlawful combatants (also known as unprivileged combatants or unprivileged belligerents) are civilians who directly engage in armed conflict and are therefore legally (in some, national-level systems) deemed to be no longer protected by the Geneva Conventions. The concept originated during the fin de siècle of the 19th century, with the great powers considering francs-tireurs to be unlawful combatants. During the 20th and 21st centuries, the concept of unlawful combatants has been prominently used by the United States, particularly during the war on terror; it has also seen use by the Israeli and British governments. In the United States, the Military Commissions Act of 2006 codified the legal definition of this term and invested the U.S. President with broad discretion to determine whether a person may be designated an unlawful enemy combatant under United States law.