Crossword Genius

Help to support Republican attack (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

raid

'attack' is the definition.
(raid is a kind of attack)

'help to support republican' is the wordplay.
'help' becomes 'aid' (synonyms).
'to support' says to put letters next to each other (in a down clue, some letters hold others up).
'republican' becomes 'r' (abbreviation).
'aid' put after 'r' is 'RAID'.

(Other definitions for raid that I've seen before include "Rifle" , "Stock Exchange activity" , "Enter a territory and take spoils" , "A sudden attack or incursion" , "Invasion" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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