They’re in the armed fighting group. Literally the military. Of course they are combatants. This doesn’t require being in direct combat.
Ukraine bombs Russian Drone factories. One could say nobody was a combatant. American Drone operators are bombing people half the world away from an airbase in Texas. One could say nobody was a combatant.
As long as they’re registered and active in the armed military group, actively working with the military that is in conflict with the group attacking them, and not having surrendered, they’re combatants. They can surrender any time such as… right now! And quit the military right now!
Attacking military bases only, and not civilian areas, is super based.