guerilla and terrorist?

[Mr. White]

i have asked about this many times, "what's the difference between a guerilla and a terrorist".

help? please?

[RedAnarchist]

A member of an irregular, usually indigenous military or paramilitary unit operating in small bands in occupied territory to harass and undermine the enemy, as by surprise raids.

adj : characteristic of someone who employs terrorism (especially as a political weapon); "terrorist activity"; "terrorist state" n : a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities

A guerilla is someone who fights agaisnt an occupying or oppressive enemy in their own country or in one specific country. The Julio 26 Movement, for instance, were a Cuban guerilla group.

[Vanilla Coke Kid]

Or, more famously, the Vietcong in Nam.

[Invader Zim]

Origionally the term Guerilla was used to describe the wa between the Spanish people and the French who occupied Spain in the early 1800's during the peninsular war. The Guerilla war was the little war (a spanish member can confirm if this is a direct transaltion, i'm not sure if it is), where as the war between the regular Spanish army and the British army against Napoleons French armys in Spain.

The Guerilla was a bloody vicious wa, which arguably did as much if njot more damage to the french effort than Wellingtons regulars. They were non-uniformed, and used very unpleasant tactics of torture to put fear into the French, and to had out revenge on the occupying forces. They were expert and illusive, using hit and run tactics to great effect and forced even the smallest supply transport to be heavily defended.

This effectivly makes them terrorists by modern standards, but one mans terrorist is anothers freedom fighter.

[NovelGentry]

The fundamental thing is surprise and rapidity of attack.
Acts of sabotage are very important. It is necessary to distinguish clearly between sabotage, a revolutionary and highly effective method of warfare, and terrorism, a measure that is generally ineffective and indiscriminate in its results, since it often makes victims of innocent people and destroys a large number of lives that would be valuable to the revolution. Terrorism should be considered a valuable tactic when it is used to put to death some noted leader of the oppressing forces well known for his cruelty, his efficiency in repression, or other quality that makes his elimination useful. But the killing of persons of small importance is never advisable, since it brings on an increase of reprisals, including deaths. -- Ernesto "Che" Guevara

I think what Che is trying to say here is first and foremost that Guerilla Warfare as "a revolutionary and highly effective method of warfare" has to be distinguished from terrorism. It can be distinguished from terrorism by what he goes on to say are some of the consequences of terrorist action. Personally, I agree with what he has said.