But it didn't on 9-11. After 911 there was a period of years when the Geneva Convention status of these people was in limbo and outside of Geneva Comvention language (and intent, frankly)-
and you can still see that they well understand the Geneva Convention rules, by the way they operate, who and what and how they kill, the way they treat civilians and the way they treat our soldiers when they capture them
I can remember discussing Geneva Convention rules to a class of foreign military officers- the Ethiopian (Mengistu army man) stands out in my mind, He was completely bored and unimpressed. “If I catch my enemy I will kill him, if he catches me, he will kill me”
And no, you don't get Geneva Convention protection if you are captured in civilian clothes without any military ID on a “battlefield” (would that “battlefield” be a blown up marketplace, apartment complex, school, or police station occupied by civilians?) ... ask any American why the MUST as a minimum carry ID identifying themselves as a member of the US military, or what the risks are if they do not
As I recall FDR jailed US Citizens in WWII just because they were Japanese.
War is war, rather you have an ID card or not.
I can see the argument goes on ... sigh.