The peculiar nature of contemporary terrorism and counter-terrorism creates unprecedented situations of violence that do not fit clearly into the established concepts and categories of international humanitarian law.. This paper reconsiders the relationship between military counter-terrorist operations and international humanitarian law, by assessing the general conditions for the applicability of international humanitarian law in this context, as well as by addressing the specific issues of combat targeting and the treatment of detainees. The paper concludes that despite certain conceptual uncertainties, the existing framework of international humanitarian law can adequately cover the basic issues that may arise in the context of military counter-terrorist operations.