text: Chapter 2
  occur. If the government is unwilling or unable to address these problems successfully, the insurgency can
  claim they will solve them. Common insurgent propaganda efforts include the following:
  • Encouraging the HN populace or specific neutral parties to avoid supporting HN or other
  friendly government’s forces.
  • Increasing insurgent will to resist by fanning hatreds, biases, and predispositions.
  • Inciting riots or organizing rallies, which may include honoring “martyred” insurgents.
  • Causing or exacerbating a dislocated civilian crises.
  • Creating or fostering public distrust of the HN security forces.
  • Undermining the support of specific HN local leaders or businessmen.
  • Creating or intensifying general ethnic or religious unrest or friction.
  • Supporting or revitalizing dissident or opposition organizations.
  • Linking local groups with similar groups in neighboring countries or regions.
  • Discrediting or ridiculing specific HN or counterinsurgent officials.
  • Characterizing government leaders as puppets and tools of foreign COIN forces.
  • Spreading hostile coverage of COIN personnel, especially counterinsurgent mistakes.
  2-117. Effective counterinsurgents must counter insurgent propaganda. This can be accomplished by
  conducting information engagement (IE) to exploit inconsistencies in the insurgents’ propaganda and their
  excessive use of force or intimidation. Additionally, counterinsurgents must have a coherent and unified
  information engagement plan. This IE plan must be planned, prepared, and executed with input from all
  appropriate civil and military agencies, especially the HN.
  Section VI—STRENGTHS AND VULNERABILITIES
  Understanding insurgents’ typical strengths and vulnerabilities allows counterinsurgents at the tactical level
  to work toward neutralizing or avoiding their capabilities and exploiting their weaknesses. The typical strengths
  and vulnerabilities of insurgents are explained below.
  STRENGTHS
  2-118. The recognized strengths of insurgent warfare provide a base to analyze the specific insurgent
  threat. No two insurgent forces are identical. Known strengths are applied against a specific situation the
  COIN force encounters, and are refined because of local analysis. Regardless, identified insurgent strengths
  must be reduced or circumvented. Table 2-1 presents insurgent strengths and countermeasures for analysis
  during COIN operations.
  Table 2-1. Insurgent strengths and countermeasures.
  Insurgent Strengths Countermeasures
  2-24 FM 3-24.2 21 April 2009
  SUONEGIDNI
  Insurgents are usually indigenous to the local area The counterinsurgent force must separate the
  and have the support of at least some of the populace. insurgent from the rest of the populace. This is best
  Therefore, they have the ability to blend with the local accomplished through the effective use of populace
  populace. In many cases they have two roles—a local and resources control. Care must be taken
  resident one moment, an insurgent the next moment. This to ensure that civilians are not injured or mistreated
  enhances their capability to operate without discovery in a as a result of counterinsurgent operations