[Shasown]

Originally Posted by setanta

They knew about a particular plot to bomb a local police station and instead of surrounding the vehicle intially they lay in wait until it got to the barracks and then decided to open fire, gunning down everybody on board, with many of them being unarmed at the time. Civilians have also been killed in the firestorms that the SAS initiated. I'm not suggesting that these methods were wrong or right; I'm simply stating that they decided to implement the most extreme methods in dealing with a hostile group, just like the IRA did with them when they realised that they weren't been heard.

This was a war against a State that refused to recognize a group within Northern Ireland, that's all. Britain got involved and not in the Nationalists favour. You know that they called a truce I think in the mid 70's with the IRA, telling them that they would be willing to move troops out altogether, only to abandon the whole thing halfway through the talks? It was a trick used to destabilize the Nationalist movement and it worked rather effectively. Would you trust a government that used such underhanded tactics? And don't get me started on the H Blocks and internment.

Oh Loughgall, would have thought you would have went for a better bone of contention. Like Op Flavius - Gibraltar.

I would suggest you read up on accounts of it first before saying things like they were unarmed. They were driving a JCB(used to crash through the fence) with an oil drum packed with explosives, three men on the JCB and a 5 man ASU (Active Service Unit) in a toyota all were armed.

The same style attack had been used the previous year, JCB carries bomb crashes through barriers bomb is lit while others fire into the police station, bomb goes off, the team wait a few minutes to kill anyone exiting the station in a daze, they all sod off in an escape vehicle.

First off the men on and in the JCB are armed with a bomb, they also carried side arms. The 5 man team in the toyota were armed with automatic assault rifles(machine guns for want of a better term).

Do you honestly think the JCB would have stopped if an RUC constable or a soldier in uniform stepped out in the road and put up his hand. Be serious they were intent on exploding the bomb, destroying the police station and the use of assault rifles firing into the station just as the fuse on the bomb was started shows they intended to take the life of anyone exiting the station either due to the noise of the approach of the JCB, the demolition of the protective fence around the station or after the bomb had exploded, any survivors crawling out of the wreckage.

Incidentally the station was manned at the time by both RUC and other SAS blades for the three days this op was ongoing, yes thats right they didnt have the date and time.

Legally to arrest them and get a conviction you had to catch them in possession of a bomb, detonating the bomb or immediately afterwards. They were armed to the teeth. Do you really think they would have put the weapons down if challenged, go on answer, do you?

It even went to the bleeding hearts in Europe and the authorities got a slap on the wrist for failing to carry out a full investigation into the incident. Apparently this was a denial of the terrorists human rights. Nuff said eh?