Franc-tireur is an informal term for an armed fighter who, if captured, is not entitled to prisoner of war status. This classification could apply as of late 2004 to many persons being held at Camp X-ray.
The term franc-tireur is from the French for "free shooter". During the wars of the French Revolution, a franc-tireur was a member of a corps of light infantry organized separately from the regular army.
Another notable appearance of franc-tireurs was after the Franco-Prussian War when French irregulars, called franc-tireurs, waged a guerilla war against German soldiers in occupied France. The term was revived during the Second World War (Franc-Tireurs et Partisans movement).
The Spanish word francotirador, meaning sniper, is derived from the word franc-tireur.
Le Franc-Tireur was the name of an underground resistance newspaper in France during the Second World War.
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