stay-behinds
People not evacuating
Stay-behinds are people who remain in a place after others have left or evacuated.
The term appears in military and intelligence contexts for operatives who stay in territory expected to fall to an enemy, ready to resist or gather information: The agency trained stay-behinds to sabotage supply lines.
More broadly, it describes anyone who doesn't leave with a departing group: A few stay-behinds refused to evacuate before the hurricane.
Covert operatives awaiting activation
- molesBurrowing insectivore mammals
- deep coverProlonged covert infiltration
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
- operativesThose who execute missions
handlers · assets · clandestine · infiltrators · networks · covert · embedded · activation
Irregular combatants, unconventional warfare
- partisansStaunch factional supporters
- resistance fightersArmed opponents of occupation
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- irregular warfareUnconventional military operations
saboteurs · ambush · insurgents · NATO · caches · contingency · liberation · enemy territory
sleeper agents
Covert operatives awaiting activation
- molesBurrowing insectivore mammals
- deep coverProlonged covert infiltration
- intelligenceMental ability, cognitive capacity
operatives · handlers · assets · clandestine · infiltrators · networks · covert · embedded · activation · tradecraft
guerrillas
Irregular combatants, unconventional warfare
- partisansStaunch factional supporters
- resistance fightersArmed opponents of occupation
- occupationOne's regular paid work
irregular warfare · saboteurs · ambush · insurgents · NATO · caches · contingency · liberation · enemy territory · rear guard
refugees
People seeking safety elsewhere
- strandedLeft without means to leave
- displacedShifted from proper location
- civiliansNon-military population
escape · warzone · abandoned · rescue · humanitarian · borders · trapped · families · shelter · crisis
stay-behindsevacuees
People removed from danger
refugees · displaced persons · escapees · migrants · exiles
stay, behind, stays, stayed, staying, stayer, stayers, behinds, behindhand