Askari, noun

/æsˈkɑːri//asˈkɑːri//əsˈkɑːri/
Origin:
East African English, ArabicShow more Transferred sense of East African English askari (from Arabic), a Black police officer or soldier.
historical
A ‘turned’ Umkhonto we Sizwe soldier serving in the South African police force, especially in operations against the African National Congress. Also attributive.
1989 Weekend Post 18 Nov. 1Vlakplaas was a camp to train ANC defectors...The defectors, known as ‘Askaris’, were integral members of assassination teams.
1989 Weekend Argus 25 Nov. 11The members of the ‘hit squad’..known as Askaris have disbanded...The Askaris were former ANC operatives who had switched sides.
1990 D. Beresford in Weekly Mail 27 Apr. 10The farm was manned by some 18 ‘Askaris’ — ‘rehabilitated terrorists’ — under his command, whose job was to track down ANC infiltrators.
1990 Koch & Rickard in Weekly Mail 14 Sept. 1M— was arrested by two askaris (turned guerrillas used by the police for counter-insurgency work) inside the OK Bazaars store in West Street, Durban.
1991 Advertisement (ANC) in E. Prov. Herald 16 Apr. 7All counter-insurgency units such as the CCB, Askaris, Koevoet etc. should be publicly disbanded.
1993 Sunday Nation 8 Aug. 15Members of a regiment credited with such missions as the Sasol bombing joined the infamous Askari unit of the South African police at Vlakplaas...For the first time since they switched sides, they spoke..about their lives on both sides of the struggle.
A ‘turned’ Umkhonto we Sizwe soldier serving in the South African police force, especially in operations against the African National Congress. Also attributive.
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historical
Asiatic, nounn. & adjectiveadj.askoek, nounn.
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