Who is a Combatant?
The NCTC considers a terrorist attack to have occurred when the victim or facility is not considered to be in combatant status at the time of the incident. No victim in noncombatant status may be targeted legitimately. Attacks on military personnel outside a war zone or warlike setting are considered to be similar to attacks on noncombatants (for example, military personnel injured or killed in the USS Cole attack).
