Editing Ambush (section)

{{short description|Military attack from concealed positions}}
{{Other uses}}
{{redirect|Sneak attack|the album by Buddy Miles Regiment|Sneak Attack (album)}}
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[[File:Embuscade (Guerre de Vendée) - Evariste Carpentier (1)-.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|French royalist rebels preparing an ambush during the [[War in the Vendée]] (''The Ambush'' by [[Évariste Carpentier]], 1889)]]
[[File:Destruction de l'armée de Braddock en 1755.jpg|thumb|General [[Edward Braddock|Braddock]]'s troops [[Battle of the Monongahela|ambushed and decimated]] by the French and Indians in 1755]]
[[File:Charles Bell - Zoeloe-aanval op 'n Boerelaer - 1838.jpg|thumb|Depiction of a [[Weenen massacre|Zulu attack]] on a [[Boer]] camp in February 1838]]
[[File:THE RETREAT FROM AFGHANISTAN, 1842..gif|thumb|[[1842 retreat from Kabul|Massacre of Elphinstone's army]] during the [[First Anglo-Afghan War]] in 1842]]
[[File:Polish ambush during the January Uprising.png|thumb|Ambush of Polish [[Partisan (military)|partisans]] against Russian forces during the [[January Uprising]], 1863]]
{{wikt | ambush}}

An '''ambush''' is a [[surprise attack]] carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position.<ref>"Ambush" definition in the ''[[New Oxford American Dictionary]]''</ref> The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "{{linktext|ambush}}". Ambushes as a basic [[military tactics|fighting tactic]] of soldiers or of criminals have been used consistently throughout history, from [[ancient warfare|ancient]] to [[modern warfare]]. The term "ambush" is also used in [[Ambush predators|animal behavior]] studies, [[Journalism_genres#Ambush_journalism|journalism]], and [[Ambush marketing|marketing]] to describe methods of approach and strategy.

In the 20th century, a military ambush might involve thousands of soldiers on a large scale, such as at a choke point like a [[mountain pass]]. Conversely, it could involve a small [[irregulars |irregular]] band or [[insurgent]] group attacking a [[Regular army|regular]] armed-force patrol. Theoretically, a single well-armed, and concealed [[soldier]] could ambush other troops in a [[surprise attack]]. 

In recent centuries, a military ambush can involve the exclusive or combined use of [[improvised explosive device]]s (IED). This allows attackers to hit enemy convoys or patrols while minimizing the risk of being exposed to return fire.<ref>{{Cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5gIuAAAAYAAJ&q=ambush+%22using+ieds%22&pg=RA1-PA6|title= Armor|date= 2004|publisher= U.S. Armor Association|language= en|access-date= 1 October 2020|archive-date= 15 July 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240715014917/https://books.google.com/books?id=5gIuAAAAYAAJ&q=ambush+%22using+ieds%22&pg=RA1-PA6#v=snippet&q=ambush%20%22using%20ieds%22&f=false|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title= The improvised explosive solution|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17424830|url-status= dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230522104428/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna17424830|archive-date= 22 May 2023 |access-date=11 July 2020|website=msnbc|date=5 March 2007}}
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