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South Armagh Sniper (1990-1997)
Encyclopedia
The South Armagh Sniper is the generic name given to the members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army
's (IRA) South Armagh Brigade
who conducted a sniping
campaign against British security forces from 1990 to 1997.
The campaign is notable for the snipers' use of .50 BMG
calibre Barrett M82 and M90
long-range rifles in some of the shootings.
, supported the use of snipers in his book Memories of a Revolutionary, attracted by the motto 'one shot, one kill'.
The majority of soldiers shot dead in 1972, the bloodiest year of the conflict in Northern Ireland, fell, in effect, victims of IRA snipers.
About 180 British soldiers, RUC and prison staff
members were killed in this way from 1971 to 1991.
The AR-18
Armalite rifle became the weapon of choice for IRA members at this time.
Meanwhile, the British Army assessment about Operation Banner
asserts that the IRA sniping skills often did not match those expected from a well trained sniper. The report identifies four different patterns of small arms attacks during the IRA campaign, the last being that developed by the South Armagh sniper units.
from Libya
. The regular shipments from the United States
, once the main source of arms for the republicans through the gunrunning operations of George Harrison
, were disrupted after he was arrested by the FBI in 1981. The smuggling scheme suffered a further blow when the Fenit-based trawler Marita Ann, with a huge arms cache from Boston
, was captured by the Irish Naval Service
in 1985.
However, between the mid-1980s and the 1990s there was some small-scale activity, leading to the purchase of US-made Barrett M82 and M90 rifles, which became common weapons for the South Armagh snipers. According to letters seized by American federal authorities from a Dundalk
IRA member, Martin Quigley, who had travelled to USA to study computing at Lehigh University
in Pennsylvania
, the organisation managed to smuggle an M82 to Ireland
just before his arrest in 1989. He was part of a bigger plot to import electronic devices to defeat British Army countermeasures. In August 1986, another M82 had been sent in pieces from Chicago to Dublin, where the rifle was re-assembled.
At least two of the M90 rifles were bought as recently as six months after the first IRA ceasefire. It was part of a batch of two sold to Michael Suárez, a Cuba
n resident of Cleveland on 27 January 1995 by a firearms dealer; Suárez later passed the weapons to an Irishman, who finally shipped the rifles, their ammunition and two telescopic sights to the Republic. An unidentified IRA volunteer, quoted by Toby Harnden
, said that:
Three of the security forces members killed in this campaign were instead the victims of 7.62x51 mm rounds. Five missed shots belonged to the same kind of weapon. Harnden recalls a Belgian FN FAL
rifle recovered by the Gardaí near Inniskeen
in 1998 as the possible source of those attacks.
one responsible for the east part of South Armagh, around Drumintee
, the other for the west, in the area surrounding Cullyhanna
. Each team comprised at least four members, not counting those in charge of support activities, such as scouting for targets and driving vehicles. Military officials claim that the Drumintee-based squad deployed up to 20 volunteers in some of the sniping missions. The teams made good use of dead ground in order to conceal themselves from Army observation posts.
Between 1990 and 1997, 24 shots were fired at British forces. The first eight operations (1990–1992), ended in misses. In August 1992, the team mortally wounded a Light Infantry
soldier. By April 1997, nine servicemen, seven from the Army and two from the RUC, had been killed. An RUC constable
almost lost one of his legs in what became the last sniper attack during the Troubles
. Another six rounds achieved nothing, albeit two of them near-missed the patrol boat HMS Cygnet, in Carlingford Lough
. The marksman usually fired from a distance of less than 300 metres, despite the 1 km effective range of the rifles. Sixteen operations were carried out from the rear of a vehicle, with the sniper protected by an armour plate in case the patrols returned fire. At least in one incident, after the killing of a soldier in Forkhill
on 17 March 1993, the British Army fired back at the sniper's vehicle without effect.
Two different sources include in the campaign two incidents which happened outside South Armagh; one in Belcoo
, County Fermanagh
, where a constable was killed, the other in West Belfast
, in June 1993. An RUC investigation following the latter shooting led to the discovery of one Barrett M82, hidden in a derelict house. It was later determined that this rifle was the weapon responsible for the first killing in South Armagh in 1992. A third unrelated sniper attack, which resulted in the death of a British soldier, was carried out by the IRA at New Lodge
, North Belfast, on 3 August 1992. Two other soldiers were wounded by snipers at New Lodge in November 1993 and January 1994. Two people were arrested and a loaded rifle recovered in the aftermath of the latter incident. On 30 December 1993, the second anniversary of Fergal Caraher's death, Guardsman Daniel Blinco became the last soldier killed by snipers in South Armagh before the first IRA ceasefire in 1994. His killing, along with the reaction of the MP
of his constituency was covered by the BBC
"inside Ulster" services, which also showed Blinco's abandoned helmet and the hole made by the sniper's bullet on the wall of a pub.
The tabloid press of that time starting calling the sniper 'Goldfinger' or 'Terminator', the nicknames current in Crossmaglen's bars. The last serviceman killed by snipers at South Armagh, Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick, was also the last British soldier to die during The Troubles
, on 12 February 1997. Restorick's killing resulted in a public outcry; Gerry Adams
called his death "tragic" and wrote a letter of condolence to his mother.
Following two successful attacks in 1997, on April 10 a Special Air Service
unit arrested the sniper team
based in the west of the region, responsible for several deaths. After a brief fist fight, James McCardle, Michael Caraher, Bernard McGinn and Martin Minnes were arrested in a farm near Freeduff. The British troops were under strict orders to avoid IRA casualties. A Barrett M90 rifle was seized, which forensic and intelligence reports linked only to the 1997 shootings. It was hinted that there was an informer, a suggestion dismissed by the Ombudsman
report.
One of the IRA volunteers captured, Michael Caraher, was the brother of Fergal Caraher
, a Sinn Féin member and IRA volunteer killed by Royal Marines
at a checkpoint on 30 December 1990 near Cullyhanna. Michael, also shot and wounded, had lost a lung in the aftermath. Despite some witnesses claiming that the shooting was unprovoked, the marines involved were acquitted by Lord Chief Justice Hutton. Caraher was thought to be the shooter in several attacks, but he was only indicted for the case of the maimed constable. He was defended by solicitor Rosemary Nelson
, later killed by the loyalist
organisation Red Hand Defenders
. The other three men of the sniper team were convicted in 1999 for six killings, two of them unrelated to the sniping operations (the deaths of two men when one of the team's members, James McCardle, planted the bomb at Canary Wharf
in 1996). The men were set free 18 months later under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Drumintee sniper party was never caught.
issued a new type of body armour, which was both expensive (£4,000) and too heavy (32 lbs) for use on patrol. The morale of the troops was so low that some servicemen had to be disciplined for remaining in shelter while under orders to check vehicles. A British major said that:
The IRA strategy also diverted a large amount of British security resources from routine operations to tackle the threat. Until the 1994 ceasefire, even the SAS was unable to prevent the attacks. However, the truce between 1994 and 1996 made security surveillance easier for the RUC and the Army. This led to the success against the Caraher team. The security forces planned to set the ground for an SAS ambush by deploying a decoy patrol, but this counter-sniper operation failed twice. At the end, the sniper squad was tracked to a farm complex and arrested there.
By the second IRA ceasefire, another team was still on the run, and two Barrett rifles remained unaccounted for. The campaign is viewed as the most efficient overall IRA operation in Northern Ireland for this period.
A Highway Code
-style sign saying "SNIPER AT WORK" was mounted by the IRA near Crossmaglen
and became an icon of the republican
cause.
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
's (IRA) South Armagh Brigade
Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade
The South Armagh Brigade of the Provisional Irish Republican Army operated during the Troubles in south County Armagh. It was organised into two battalions, one around Jonesborough and another around Crossmaglen. By the 1990s, the South Armagh Brigade was thought to consist of about 40 members,...
who conducted a sniping
Sniper
A sniper is a marksman who shoots targets from concealed positions or distances exceeding the capabilities of regular personnel. Snipers typically have specialized training and distinct high-precision rifles....
campaign against British security forces from 1990 to 1997.
The campaign is notable for the snipers' use of .50 BMG
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
calibre Barrett M82 and M90
Barrett M90
The Barrett M90 is a bolt-action, bullpup sniper rifle, chambered in .50 BMG , and designed by Barrett Firearms Company.-Overview:...
long-range rifles in some of the shootings.
Origins
One of the historical leaders of the Provisional IRA, Seán Mac StíofáinSeán Mac Stíofáin
Seán Mac Stíofáin was an Irish republican paramilitary activist born in London, who became associated with the republican movement in Ireland after serving in the Royal Air Force...
, supported the use of snipers in his book Memories of a Revolutionary, attracted by the motto 'one shot, one kill'.
The majority of soldiers shot dead in 1972, the bloodiest year of the conflict in Northern Ireland, fell, in effect, victims of IRA snipers.
About 180 British soldiers, RUC and prison staff
Her Majesty's Prison Service
Her Majesty's Prison Service is a part of the National Offender Management Service of the Government of the United Kingdom tasked with managing most of the prisons within England and Wales...
members were killed in this way from 1971 to 1991.
The AR-18
AR-18
The AR-18 is a gas operated, selective fire assault rifle chambered for 5.56x45mm ammunition. The AR-18 was designed at ArmaLite in California by Arthur Miller, George Sullivan, and Charles Dorchester in 1963 as an improved alternative to the AR-15 design, which had just been selected by the U.S....
Armalite rifle became the weapon of choice for IRA members at this time.
Meanwhile, the British Army assessment about Operation Banner
Operation Banner
Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' operation in Northern Ireland from August 1969 to July 2007. It was initially deployed at the request of the Unionist government of Northern Ireland to support the Royal Ulster Constabulary . After the 1998 Belfast Agreement,...
asserts that the IRA sniping skills often did not match those expected from a well trained sniper. The report identifies four different patterns of small arms attacks during the IRA campaign, the last being that developed by the South Armagh sniper units.
The rifles
During the 1980s, the IRA relied mostly on weaponry smuggledProvisional IRA arms importation
The Provisional Irish Republican Army began importing large quantities of weapons and ammunition into the Republic of Ireland for use in Northern Ireland in the early 1970s...
from Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
. The regular shipments from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, once the main source of arms for the republicans through the gunrunning operations of George Harrison
George Harrison (Irish Republican)
George Harrison was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army.Born in Shammer, Kilkelly, County Mayo, in western Ireland, Harrison emigrated to the United States to facilitate arms transfers to the Provisional IRA in Northern Ireland...
, were disrupted after he was arrested by the FBI in 1981. The smuggling scheme suffered a further blow when the Fenit-based trawler Marita Ann, with a huge arms cache from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, was captured by the Irish Naval Service
Irish Naval Service
The Naval Service is the navy of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces. Its main base is in Haulbowline, County Cork....
in 1985.
However, between the mid-1980s and the 1990s there was some small-scale activity, leading to the purchase of US-made Barrett M82 and M90 rifles, which became common weapons for the South Armagh snipers. According to letters seized by American federal authorities from a Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
IRA member, Martin Quigley, who had travelled to USA to study computing at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the organisation managed to smuggle an M82 to Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
just before his arrest in 1989. He was part of a bigger plot to import electronic devices to defeat British Army countermeasures. In August 1986, another M82 had been sent in pieces from Chicago to Dublin, where the rifle was re-assembled.
At least two of the M90 rifles were bought as recently as six months after the first IRA ceasefire. It was part of a batch of two sold to Michael Suárez, a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n resident of Cleveland on 27 January 1995 by a firearms dealer; Suárez later passed the weapons to an Irishman, who finally shipped the rifles, their ammunition and two telescopic sights to the Republic. An unidentified IRA volunteer, quoted by Toby Harnden
Toby Harnden
Toby Harnden is an Anglo-American journalist and author. He has been US editor of The Daily Telegraph since 2006.-Background:...
, said that:
"What's special about the Barrett is the huge kinetic energy... The bullet can just walk through a flak jacket. South Armagh was the prime place to use such weapon because of the availability of Brits. They came to dread it and that was part of its effectiveness."
Three of the security forces members killed in this campaign were instead the victims of 7.62x51 mm rounds. Five missed shots belonged to the same kind of weapon. Harnden recalls a Belgian FN FAL
FN FAL
The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...
rifle recovered by the Gardaí near Inniskeen
Inniskeen
Inniskeen, officially Inishkeen , is a small village and parish in County Monaghan, Ireland, close to the County Louth and County Armagh borders. It is located about 17 km from Dundalk and 12 km from Carrickmacross and 5 km from Crossmaglen...
in 1998 as the possible source of those attacks.
The shootings
Contrary to the first British army assessment, or the speculations of the press, there was not just a single sniper involved. According to Harnden, there were two different teams,one responsible for the east part of South Armagh, around Drumintee
Drumintee
Dromintee or Drumintee is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 364 people. It lies within the Newry and Mourne District Council area.- People :...
, the other for the west, in the area surrounding Cullyhanna
Cullyhanna
Cullyhanna is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies on the main road between Newtownhamilton and Crossmaglen. It had a population of 306 in the 2001 Census...
. Each team comprised at least four members, not counting those in charge of support activities, such as scouting for targets and driving vehicles. Military officials claim that the Drumintee-based squad deployed up to 20 volunteers in some of the sniping missions. The teams made good use of dead ground in order to conceal themselves from Army observation posts.
Between 1990 and 1997, 24 shots were fired at British forces. The first eight operations (1990–1992), ended in misses. In August 1992, the team mortally wounded a Light Infantry
The Light Infantry
The Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Light Division. It was formed on 10 July 1968 as a "large regiment" by the amalgamation of the four remaining light infantry regiments of the Light Infantry Brigade:...
soldier. By April 1997, nine servicemen, seven from the Army and two from the RUC, had been killed. An RUC constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
almost lost one of his legs in what became the last sniper attack during the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
. Another six rounds achieved nothing, albeit two of them near-missed the patrol boat HMS Cygnet, in Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough
Carlingford Lough is a glacial fjord or sea inlet that forms part of the border between Northern Ireland to the north and the Republic of Ireland to the south. On its northern shore is County Down and on its southern shore is County Louth...
. The marksman usually fired from a distance of less than 300 metres, despite the 1 km effective range of the rifles. Sixteen operations were carried out from the rear of a vehicle, with the sniper protected by an armour plate in case the patrols returned fire. At least in one incident, after the killing of a soldier in Forkhill
Forkhill
Forkhill or Forkill is a small village in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the Ring of Gullion, near Slieve Fuad. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 366.- Name :...
on 17 March 1993, the British Army fired back at the sniper's vehicle without effect.
Two different sources include in the campaign two incidents which happened outside South Armagh; one in Belcoo
Belcoo
Belcoo is a small village and townland in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, 10 miles from Enniskillen. It is on the County Fermanagh/County Cavan border beside the village of Blacklion in the Republic of Ireland...
, County Fermanagh
County Fermanagh
Fermanagh District Council is the only one of the 26 district councils in Northern Ireland that contains all of the county it is named after. The district council also contains a small section of County Tyrone in the Dromore and Kilskeery road areas....
, where a constable was killed, the other in West Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
, in June 1993. An RUC investigation following the latter shooting led to the discovery of one Barrett M82, hidden in a derelict house. It was later determined that this rifle was the weapon responsible for the first killing in South Armagh in 1992. A third unrelated sniper attack, which resulted in the death of a British soldier, was carried out by the IRA at New Lodge
New Lodge, Belfast
The New Lodge is an urban, working-class Catholic community in Belfast, Northern Ireland, immediately to the north of city centre. The landscape is dominated by several large tower blocks. The area has a number of murals, mostly sited along the New Lodge Road...
, North Belfast, on 3 August 1992. Two other soldiers were wounded by snipers at New Lodge in November 1993 and January 1994. Two people were arrested and a loaded rifle recovered in the aftermath of the latter incident. On 30 December 1993, the second anniversary of Fergal Caraher's death, Guardsman Daniel Blinco became the last soldier killed by snipers in South Armagh before the first IRA ceasefire in 1994. His killing, along with the reaction of the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
of his constituency was covered by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
"inside Ulster" services, which also showed Blinco's abandoned helmet and the hole made by the sniper's bullet on the wall of a pub.
The tabloid press of that time starting calling the sniper 'Goldfinger' or 'Terminator', the nicknames current in Crossmaglen's bars. The last serviceman killed by snipers at South Armagh, Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick, was also the last British soldier to die during The Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
, on 12 February 1997. Restorick's killing resulted in a public outcry; Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
called his death "tragic" and wrote a letter of condolence to his mother.
British personnel killed
| Name and rank | Date | Place | Rifle's calibre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Private (rank) A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career... Paul Turner |
28 August 1992 | Crossmaglen | .50 |
| Constable Jonhathan Reid | 25 February 1993 | Crossmaglen | 7.62 mm |
| Lance Corporal Lance Corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organizations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer, usually equivalent to the NATO Rank Grade OR-3.- Etymology :The presumed... Lawrence Dickson |
17 March 1993 | Forkhill | 7.62 mm |
| Private John Randall | 26 June 1993 | Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton Newtownhamilton is a small village in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is within the townland of Tullyvallan and the barony of Upper Fews. It is part of the Newry and Mourne District Council area... |
7.62 mm |
| Lance Corporal Kevin Pullin | 17 July 1993 | Crossmaglen | .50 |
| Reserve Constable Brian Woods | 2 November 1993 | Newry Newry Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population... |
.50 |
| Lance Bombardier Paul Garret | 2 December 1993 | Keady Keady Keady is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It is situated south of Armagh city and very close to the border with the Republic of Ireland. The town had a population of 2,960 people in the 2001 Census.... |
.50 |
| Guardsman Guardsman Guardsman is a rank used instead of Private in some military units that serve as the official bodyguard of a sovereign or head of state. It is also used as a generic term for any member of a Guards unit of any rank.... Daniel Blinco |
30 December 1993 | Crossmaglen | .50 |
| Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick | 12 February 1997 | Bessbrook | .50 |
Caraher team arrested
The ceasefire put in place by the IRA on 31 August 1994 gave an opportunity to the British to collect intelligence from the local community to be used against the snipers. The truce was strongly resented by South Armagh IRA members. Even when the ceasefire was ongoing, an alleged member of the Drumintee squad, Kevin Donegan, was captured by an RUC patrol in relation to the 1994 murder of a postal worker in the course of an armed robbery. When the IRA broke the ceasefire by bombing the London Docklands in February 1996, some volunteers had already abandoned the organisation, while others had turned to criminal activities. The period after the ceasefire saw little IRA activity in South Armagh.Following two successful attacks in 1997, on April 10 a Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
unit arrested the sniper team
Sniper team
A sniper team typically consists of a sniper and a spotter as described in military doctrines of the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Both members can perform either role and often rotate between the two...
based in the west of the region, responsible for several deaths. After a brief fist fight, James McCardle, Michael Caraher, Bernard McGinn and Martin Minnes were arrested in a farm near Freeduff. The British troops were under strict orders to avoid IRA casualties. A Barrett M90 rifle was seized, which forensic and intelligence reports linked only to the 1997 shootings. It was hinted that there was an informer, a suggestion dismissed by the Ombudsman
Police Ombudsman
The Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland is a non-departmental public body intended to provide an independent, impartial police complaints system for the people and police under the Police Acts of 1998 and 2000.-Personnel:...
report.
One of the IRA volunteers captured, Michael Caraher, was the brother of Fergal Caraher
Fergal Caraher
Fergal Caraher was a Provisional IRA volunteer and Sinn Féin member who was killed by British military forces during an ambush in Cullyhanna, County Armagh, Northern Ireland.-Background:...
, a Sinn Féin member and IRA volunteer killed by Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
at a checkpoint on 30 December 1990 near Cullyhanna. Michael, also shot and wounded, had lost a lung in the aftermath. Despite some witnesses claiming that the shooting was unprovoked, the marines involved were acquitted by Lord Chief Justice Hutton. Caraher was thought to be the shooter in several attacks, but he was only indicted for the case of the maimed constable. He was defended by solicitor Rosemary Nelson
Rosemary Nelson
Rosemary Nelson was a prominent Northern Irish human rights lawyer who was killed by a loyalist paramilitary group in 1999...
, later killed by the loyalist
Ulster loyalism
Ulster loyalism is an ideology that is opposed to a united Ireland. It can mean either support for upholding Northern Ireland's status as a constituent part of the United Kingdom , support for Northern Ireland independence, or support for loyalist paramilitaries...
organisation Red Hand Defenders
Red Hand Defenders
The Red Hand Defenders is a loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It was formed in 1998 by loyalists who opposed the Belfast Agreement and the loyalist ceasefires. Its members were drawn mostly from the Ulster Defence Association and Loyalist Volunteer Force...
. The other three men of the sniper team were convicted in 1999 for six killings, two of them unrelated to the sniping operations (the deaths of two men when one of the team's members, James McCardle, planted the bomb at Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is a major business district located in London, United Kingdom. It is one of London's two main financial centres, alongside the traditional City of London, and contains many of the UK's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest , One Canada Square...
in 1996). The men were set free 18 months later under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement. The Drumintee sniper party was never caught.
Conclusions
The IRA sniping activities further restricted the freedom of movement of the British Army in South Armagh by hindering their patrols. The MoDMinistry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
issued a new type of body armour, which was both expensive (£4,000) and too heavy (32 lbs) for use on patrol. The morale of the troops was so low that some servicemen had to be disciplined for remaining in shelter while under orders to check vehicles. A British major said that:
"That meant that to some extent the IRA had succeeded in forcing troops off the ground and it made helicopters more vulnerable so we had to guard against using them too much."
The IRA strategy also diverted a large amount of British security resources from routine operations to tackle the threat. Until the 1994 ceasefire, even the SAS was unable to prevent the attacks. However, the truce between 1994 and 1996 made security surveillance easier for the RUC and the Army. This led to the success against the Caraher team. The security forces planned to set the ground for an SAS ambush by deploying a decoy patrol, but this counter-sniper operation failed twice. At the end, the sniper squad was tracked to a farm complex and arrested there.
By the second IRA ceasefire, another team was still on the run, and two Barrett rifles remained unaccounted for. The campaign is viewed as the most efficient overall IRA operation in Northern Ireland for this period.
A Highway Code
Highway Code
The Highway Code is the official road user guide for Great Britain. In Northern Ireland the applies while the Republic of Ireland has its own Rules of the Road. It contains 306 numbered rules and 9 annexes covering pedestrians, animals, cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers...
-style sign saying "SNIPER AT WORK" was mounted by the IRA near Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen
Crossmaglen or Crosmaglen is a village and townland in south County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 1,459 people in the 2001 Census and is the largest village in south Armagh...
and became an icon of the republican
Irish Republicanism
Irish republicanism is an ideology based on the belief that all of Ireland should be an independent republic.In 1801, under the Act of Union, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merged to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
cause.