Flushing (or Flush) is a

military tactic Military tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, mobility, protection or ...

whereby

grenade A grenade is a small explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a Shell (projectile), shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A mod ...

smoke Smoke is an aerosol (a suspension of airborne particulates and gases) emitted when a material undergoes combustion or pyrolysis, together with the quantity of air that is entrained or otherwise mixed into the mass. It is commonly an unwante ...

gunfire A gunshot is a single discharge of a gun, typically a man-portable firearm, producing a visible flash, a powerful and loud shockwave and often chemical gunshot residue. The term can also refer to a ballistic wound caused by such a discharg ...

, riot control agent,

chemical weapons A chemical weapon (CW) is a specialized munition that uses chemicals formulated to inflict death or harm on humans. According to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), this can be any chemical compound intended as ...

or various other methods can be used to force opponents out from cover. Flushing can cause opponents to leave their cover, possibly making them vulnerable to further action, or force them to take up a new position more favorable to the attacker, or disperse enemies completely. This generally makes it easier for the attacking force to deal with its opponents without unduly increasing the risk to themselves. It is mostly used in urban combat through the use of hand grenades, or in situations where defenders are dug in a fortified position, such as a bunker, behind sandbags, or hiding in buildings.

References

Flushing {{mil-stub