In small packets they would descend from the djebel, blow up power pylons, mine a train or an army convoy, murder a pro-French caid or shoot up the isolated outpost of one of the heroic corps of French S.A.S. officers; and then vanish again whence they came. Existing as they did under terrible conditions of cold, hunger, and constant pursuit by the French army, that they could still act at all must of itself be a testimony to the remarkable stoicism, tenacity and dedication of the individual moudjahid.

DEFINE: 'Djebel' (mountain), 'caid' (local chief), 'S.A.S.' and 'moudjahid' are all clarified by context — useful terminology for anyone writing about the Algerian War. XREF: Parallels other anti-colonial insurgencies like the Viet Minh or Mau Mau, where harsh terrain and relentless pursuit shaped guerrilla operations.

Horne, Alistair, A Savage War of Peace- Alge…, loc. 1001