Killing zone

In military tactics, the kill zone, also known as killing zone, is an area entirely covered by defensive fire, an element of ambush within which an approaching enemy force is trapped and destroyed. The objective of the defensive force is to quickly kill or capture all enemy soldiers inside the kill zone. The trapped soldiers may respond by counterattacking.

The term is used in a similar but non-lethal fashion in paintball and airsoft tactics.

The kill zone is an element of point ambush in which a military unit targets a single area with defensive fire such as mines, demolitions and guns. The kill zone may be bordered by obstacles, traps or indirect fire (artillery or mortars) to keep the enemy from escaping. In an area ambush, related multiple kill zones will be covered by multiple defensive units. The weapons of the kill zone are not fired until the majority of the enemy unit is within the kill zone, ideally all of the targeted unit. Defensive fire is initiated by the defensive unit leader who orders the most devastating weapons to be engaged, followed immediately by other weapons. The initial attack may be remote-controlled charges such as Claymore mines or other explosives. The ambushed unit may be prevented from advancing or retreating by explosions at the front and rear of their column. Machine gun and small arms fire may be augmented by indirect fire. Ideally, the action is completed so quickly that the enemy force has no time to report the engagement. A successful ambush may result in a patrol in the kill zone being destroyed in seconds. The ambush of a kill zone carries high risk in that forces not in the zone may maneuver around the flanks of the attackers, limiting their escape. Nearby forces may also come to the assistance of those caught in the attack. For this reason, a well-executed attack may be over in under a minute and rarely extends beyond a few minutes.

A military unit that finds itself suddenly under fire in an enemy kill zone must immediately take action against the ambushers. Such action may include soldiers assuming a prone position to minimize themselves as targets. Prone soldiers will return fire toward the ambushers. Other responses may include the targeted soldiers immediately assaulting suspected defensive positions. Soldiers outside of the kill zone may direct suppressive fire at the ambushers in support of the assault, and they may advance upon the flanks of the ambushers.

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