Combatant

Combatant is the legal status of a person entitled to directly participate in hostilities during an armed conflict, and may be intentionally targeted by a belligerent for their participation in the armed conflict under the law of war. Combatants are not afforded immunity from being directly targeted in situations of armed conflict and can be attacked regardless of the specific circumstances simply due to their status, so as to deprive their side of their support. In interstate or international armed conflicts, the definition of "combatant" is found in Article 43(2) of "Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts" (Additional Protocol I): "Members of the armed forces of a Party to a conflict (other than medical personnel and chaplains covered by Article 33 of the Third Geneva Convention) are combatants, that is to say, they have the right to participate directly in hostilities." When captured by an opposing party, combatants are automatically granted the status of protected persons. In non-interstate or non-international armed conflicts, combatants who have fought with non-state armed groups are not afforded immunity for taking part in hostilities, as insurrection is a crime under the domestic law of most nations. Therefore, they can be prosecuted by the territorial state or intervening third state for simply taking up arms. "It is a war crime to kill or wound a combatant who has surrendered or is otherwise hors de combat ('out of the fight')." This prohibition is drawn from the 1907 Hague Regulations and Additional Protocol I.