Wiktionary
co-belligerents
n. (plural of co-belligerent English)
Usage examples of "co-belligerents".
This was the period, of course, after the Bugs had located our home planet, through the Skinnies, and had raided it, destroying Buenos Aires and turning “contact troubles” into all-out war, but before we had built up our forces and before the Skinnies had changed sides and become our co-belligerents and de facto allies.
Skinnies had changed sides and become our co-belligerents and de facto allies.
Possibly they were co-belligerents and the monk got the worst end of someone's claws?