Army won’t be back to fight the Real IRA
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
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The Government today ruled out bringing the Army to the streets of Northern Ireland in the fight against dissident republicans.
Senior unionists suggested the soldiers should be deployed or that more resources should be given to the PSNI after the Real IRA planted a massive bomb in Forkhill, south Armagh.
Former DUP Junior Minister Jeffrey Donaldson said: “We either have additional police resources or we have the Army back.
“This dissident threat is growing all the time,” he added.
And Ulster Unionist Danny Kennedy said he would also back a call for a return of troops.
However a spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office today told the Telegraph: “Operation Banner in which the Army provided routine support for police ended in 2007 and won’t be reactivated.”
Police said the bomb, containing 600lb of home-made explosives, had the potential to cause “terrible carnage” had it exploded on the country road on the Armagh/Monaghan border. The device which was 100lb bigger than the Omagh bomb was left just 50 feet from a nearby home – forcing 20 residents\[Chris Cairns\] — including a 10-day-old baby — to flee their homes during the four-day operation to defuse the huge bomb.
A faction of the Real IRA, calling itself Oglaigh na hEireann (OHN), claimed responsibility for planting the massive device in a telephone call to a newspaper.
Anti-terrorist officers said the bomb, which was planted in concealed drums on the northern side of the Louth-Armagh border with the detonation unit hidden in the Republic, was intended to blow up a PSNI patrol.
The home-made bomb was defused by Army officers at Carrive Road outside Forkhill yesterday. A bomb disposal team from the Republic was also involved.
It is believed the bombers belong to a 12-man gang aligned to leading dissident republican Liam Campbell based in the Carlingford area of Co Louth.
In June Campbell was among four men named as being responsible for the 1998 Omagh explosion.
Yesterday PSNI commander for Newry and Mourne, Chief Inspector Sam Cordner, said the explosion “would have demolished local housing with fatal consequence”.
Mr Cordner said: “Their actions were reckless and dangerous in the extreme. Their target may have been the police, but they did not care who they killed or injured.”
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If the Army come back on the streets then N.Ireland is finished.
Who , on earth, is going to invest in a country which has armed soldiers patrolling the streets.
As for tourism.....forget it.
Posted by William | 09.09.09, 19:27 GMT
Get them back on the streets but this time don't pussyfoot around like the 70's and 80's.
We know their numbers are low and the PSNI have a good idea who the main movers and shakers are so lift the whole lot and ship them over to Guantanimo for a chat in an orange boiler suit.
Posted by Peter | 09.09.09, 18:27 GMT
I think the point was not really about the Army being redeployed in south Armagh. It was more of a point that since the PSNI have been cut back they don't have the people power to cover for bigger operations. Which has some how worked out very handy for some of the republican groups that have not back the police until recent times.
I'm not saying the police can't do there job but, in my view the Army was kicked out of the Key Small bases far too quickly and we all know which political party really pushed for that. They themselves are now seen as traitors to the cause.
Posted by DA | 09.09.09, 16:59 GMT
it strikes me that MI5 (or someone) WERE on to these clowns - that's probably how they knew the bomb was there! Seems quite successful to me.
Posted by John | 09.09.09, 16:38 GMT
These idiots need to go and find a job or a hobbie to occupy their time.
Posted by Pauline | 09.09.09, 16:08 GMT
Mr. Donaldson either doesn't know or never even bothered to think about thought about what the consequences of such an idiotic move would be.
The return of the British Army to Armagh is exactly what the Real IRA want. They want to fight a war again and this "leader" wants to play into their hands. How you elect such people up there I'll never know.
The existence of the Northern Irish state will never be accepted by a sizeable part of the Northern population given that it was founded solely as a religious concern and against the wishes of the vast majority of the inhabitants of the island of Ireland - a recognized nation under British and international law before 1922. Recognizing this, certain adaptions have to be made in how the province is governed. Donaldson calling for everyone to go to DEFCOM4 everytime he sees something worrying will never help soothe the situation. Cross-community agreement and rejection of this behaviour is what works.
Posted by Saighdúirí | 09.09.09, 15:24 GMT
Some people think bombs never went off when the army were on the streets! Remove the blinkers!
Posted by Cp | 09.09.09, 15:17 GMT
If these kind of attacks/attempted attacks continue I think it will only be a matter of time before we see some sort of army presence on the streets again. These "hoods" are a very small, yet very dangerous, minority with very little support. People who know who these thugs are should grass them in and get them off our streets once and for all. They claim to be fighting for Ireland and for Nationalists/Republicans well I can tell you that I'm a Nationalist and you certainly aren't fighting for me or my family. You are the scum of the earth and are a thorn in the side of the communities you claim to represent. This isn't 1916 this is 2009 where democracy is the only way forward!!!
Posted by Liam | 09.09.09, 12:39 GMT
Why weren't MI5 on to these clowns before they could plant anything? They've preempted Muslim terrorist attacks in the rest of the U.K but they can't stop a couple of cultchy farmers from planting a 600lb bomb..? The PSNI need more resources to deal with these losers.
Posted by Ihatedissidents.com | 09.09.09, 12:30 GMT
London is not falling for that again.
it would escalate and legitimize the resistance at a time british troops can be shot quite well by afghanis and dont need to let Ogos look like an army attacking military.
The aniverserys are too near and the demographics will begin to take more than gerrymandering to hide.
Posted by This is Manchester | 09.09.09, 12:24 GMT
If they know who they are then go in and get them.
Posted by Andy | 09.09.09, 12:18 GMT