Editing Search and destroy (section)

== Malayan Emergency ==

During the [[Malayan Emergency]], [[British Empire|British]] forces conducted numerous search and destroy (S&D) operations in the [[British Malaya|Malayan]] countryside (which largely consisted of [[jungle]]s) to flush out [[Malayan National Liberation Army]] (MNLA) guerrillas. The [[Ferret Force]], a short-lived British [[counterinsurgency]] (COIN) unit which existed from July to December 1948, served as an important source of [[military intelligence]] for S&D missions against the MNLA. Ferret Force personnel would gather intelligence, including from native informants and prisoners, as to the whereabouts of MNLA insurgents, which would then be provided to troops assigned to S&D operations. Once MNLA insurgents had been flushed out, they would then be further harassed via [[asymmetric warfare]] tactics such as being denied sources of food and shelter, before either surrendering or being killed in a direct military engagement, most commonly an [[ambush]].<ref name=Forgotten>[http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=polsci_pubs The Other Forgotten War: Understanding atrocities during the Malayan Emergency]</ref><ref name="Conversion 61–65">{{cite book |title=Malaysian Chinese & China: Conversion in Identity Consciousness, 1945-1957 |pages=61–65 |author=Fujio Hara |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |date=December 2002}}</ref>

Ultimately, many British officials came to the conclusion that their S&D tactics were working poorly. Troops assigned to S&D missions would often use heavy-handed tactics on individuals and settlements suspected of supporting the MNLA, alienating the local population. MNLA insurgents held numerous advantages over their British opponents, including residing in closer proximity to the countryside's population and having familial relations or close friendships among local villagers. While MNLA insurgents rarely directly engaged British forces, they frequently targeted civilians to elicit material support.<ref name=Forgotten/><ref name="Conversion 61–65"/> Patrols in the jungle, a common part of British S&D operations, were unpopular with the troops due to having to spend significant periods of time navigating unfamiliar terrain filled with dangerous animals and insects while concomitantly watching out for MNLA ambushes. British forces, unable to distinguish friend from foe, had to adjust to the constant risk of an insurgent attack. These fears led to incidents such as the [[Batang Kali massacre]], in which 24 unarmed villagers were killed by soldiers of the [[Scots Guards]] regiment.<ref name=Forgotten/><ref name="Conversion 61–65"/>