The enemy combatant is an individual who, either legally or illegally, directly participates in hostilities for an opponent state or non-state entertainer in an equipped dispute. Before 2008, the definition was: "Any individual in an outfitted clash who could be appropriately confined under the laws and customs of war." For the situation of a civil war or an uprising the expression "enemy state," might be supplanted by the broader term "Party to the conflict".