 In the final phase of the war, 25,000 Boers carried out asymmetric warfare against the 450,000-strong British Imperial forces for two years after the British had captured the capital cities of the two Boer republics.During these conflicts the word entered English, retaining its general Afrikaans meaning of a "militia unit" or a "raid".Robert Baden-Powell recognised the importance of fieldcraft and was inspired to form the scouting movement.