dirty war

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.

Example Sentences

Not one Argentine Jesuit lost his life during the dirty war, and he managed to save dozens of people.

From The Daily Beast

But there is no doctrine that prevents Francis from explaining openly and honestly what he did during the “dirty war,” and why.

From The Daily Beast

There was very little in the Dirty War that seemed clear-cut to those caught between the violent extremes of left and right.

From The Daily Beast

The secretive campaign waged by the generals, known as the “dirty war,” was ferocious.

From The Daily Beast

During the horrific “dirty war” in Argentina in the 1970s, he was the Jesuit Provincial, the head of his order in his country.

From The Daily Beast