dirty war

American  

noun

1. a war conducted by the military or secret police of a regime against revolutionary and terrorist insurgents and marked by the regime's use of kidnapping, torture, and murder, with members of the civilian population often the victims.

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Example Sentences

He now leads Georgia State students on tours of dirty war sites in Buenos Aires.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023

For Moreno Ocampo, the politics of the dirty war were personal and familial.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

Tobar’s raw material also included the letters and eyewitness accounts of family members, girlfriends, journalists, traveling companions and, from the dirty war in El Salvador, fellow rebels.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2020

Related: Pope's South American tour recalls a divided church – and a dirty war Saldaño is the third of Guerrero’s four children, and her eldest son.

From The Guardian • Sep. 23, 2015

He told the BBC: "I think it's very ironic that we've had talk of a dirty war, and we've had talks of dirty deals, and we've talks of dirty peace."

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2014