The British Government has today declared the that the terrorist group the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has now disbanded its terrorist structures and no longer has the capabilities to wage war.
The IRA are responsible for the deaths of 1757 people during their war against the British and their Loyalist allies - including 698 British soldiers, 287 members of the RUC (Royal Ulster Consabulary) and 100 civilians.
In March 1993, the IRA killed two children in Warrington, Cheshire- three-year-old Jonathan Ball and twelve-year-old Tim Parry after placing bombs inside several bins.
The Irish Government welcomes the report.
Government declares IRA redundant after report says its terror campaign is over
By Daily Mail Reporter
03rd September 2008
Daily Mail
The Army Council ran the IRA in its active paramilitary days, above
The Government declared the IRA redundant today after a major report ruled its terrorist foundations were no longer operational.
The Independent Monitoring Commission insisted the group's Army Council, formerly responsible for directing its campaign of violence that terrorised Northern Ireland, had ceased to function.
It IMC said the IRA had now disbanded its terrorist structures and relinquished the leadership necessary to wage war.
The report, which comes ahead of crucial talks between unionists and republicans aimed at securing the future of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government, categorically declared its campaign was 'well and truly over'.
Over 200 people were injured when an IRA bomb devasted central Manchester on 15th June 1996, the day before Russia played Germany in the city during Euro 1996
Ahead of its publication, the Democratic Unionist Party's leader Peter Robinson had said the DUPs would demand complete removal of the Army Council to secure political progress.
The IMC 12-page report said: 'We are aware of the questions posed about the public disbandment of (Provisional Irish Republican Army's) PIRA's leadership structures.
'We believe that PIRA has chosen another method of bringing what it describes as its armed struggle to a final close.
'Under PIRA's own rules the Army Council was the body that directed its military campaign.
'Now that that campaign is well and truly over, the Army Council by deliberate choice is no longer operational or functional.'
It added: 'This situation has been brought about by a conscious decision to let it fall into disuse rather than through any other mechanism.'
The report concluded: 'The mechanism which they have chosen to bring the armed conflict to a complete end has been the standing down of the structures which engaged in the armed campaign and the conscious decision to allow the Army Council to fall into disuse.
'By taking these steps PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of armed conflict.'
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said the report confirmed that the IRA had ceased to function.
End of era: Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward today declared the IRA was effectively redundant following the IMC's key report
'This groundbreaking report by the IMC makes clear that the Army Council is now redundant,' he said.
He added: 'I urge people to read the report very carefully. As the IMC made clear, "the leadership structures have definitely ceased to function in the way they did during the time of conflict". Today's report confirms this has happened.
'PIRA has met its commitment. It has abandoned all terrorist structures, its recruitment and PIRA's so-called 'military' departments have ceased to function and have been disbanded.'
The British and Irish Governments had asked the IMC, made up of security experts and politicians from the UK and Ireland, to compile a special report on the status of IRA structures.
Prior to the official release of the report today, it was rumoured the IMC would conclude the Army Council was still in place, but was not engaged in any illegal activity.
Today in its report the IMC, which monitors paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, said the IRA's redundant structures were gradually disappearing.
'We believe that for some time now it has given up what it used to do and that by design it is being allowed to wither away,' it said.
'There have not been and we do not foresee that there will be formal announcements about the disbandment of all or parts of the structure.'
It added: "In our view the way in which the leadership has adopted an entirely different course, disbanded terrorist-related structures and capacity and engaged in different activities, and members have moved on to other things, means that the PIRA of the recent and violent past is well beyond recall."
The Irish government welcomed the report as very positive and said it not only showed the IRA had gone away, but was not coming back.
It urged the parties in Northern Ireland to complete devolution by agreeing to assume responsibility for policing and justice.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, said: 'The Government welcomes this report and its conclusions as very positive.
'This report demonstrates not only that PIRA has gone away, but that it won't be coming back.
'The IMC could not have been more unequivocal in its conclusion that the provisional movement is now irreversibly locked into following the political path.'
The report said that the IRA had decommissioned its weapons and had taken a purely political path, adding that it was the only paramilitary group to have gone to such lengths.
Asked if the report would go far enough to meet DUP demands for a disbandment of the IRA Army Council, Mr Woodward insisted the IRA pose no threat.
He said: 'If there isn't an army, then actually what are we talking about here?'
dailymail.co.uk
The IRA are responsible for the deaths of 1757 people during their war against the British and their Loyalist allies - including 698 British soldiers, 287 members of the RUC (Royal Ulster Consabulary) and 100 civilians.
In March 1993, the IRA killed two children in Warrington, Cheshire- three-year-old Jonathan Ball and twelve-year-old Tim Parry after placing bombs inside several bins.
The Irish Government welcomes the report.
Government declares IRA redundant after report says its terror campaign is over
By Daily Mail Reporter
03rd September 2008
Daily Mail
The Army Council ran the IRA in its active paramilitary days, above
The Government declared the IRA redundant today after a major report ruled its terrorist foundations were no longer operational.
The Independent Monitoring Commission insisted the group's Army Council, formerly responsible for directing its campaign of violence that terrorised Northern Ireland, had ceased to function.
It IMC said the IRA had now disbanded its terrorist structures and relinquished the leadership necessary to wage war.
The report, which comes ahead of crucial talks between unionists and republicans aimed at securing the future of Northern Ireland's power-sharing government, categorically declared its campaign was 'well and truly over'.
Over 200 people were injured when an IRA bomb devasted central Manchester on 15th June 1996, the day before Russia played Germany in the city during Euro 1996
Ahead of its publication, the Democratic Unionist Party's leader Peter Robinson had said the DUPs would demand complete removal of the Army Council to secure political progress.
The IMC 12-page report said: 'We are aware of the questions posed about the public disbandment of (Provisional Irish Republican Army's) PIRA's leadership structures.
'We believe that PIRA has chosen another method of bringing what it describes as its armed struggle to a final close.
'Under PIRA's own rules the Army Council was the body that directed its military campaign.
'Now that that campaign is well and truly over, the Army Council by deliberate choice is no longer operational or functional.'
It added: 'This situation has been brought about by a conscious decision to let it fall into disuse rather than through any other mechanism.'
The report concluded: 'The mechanism which they have chosen to bring the armed conflict to a complete end has been the standing down of the structures which engaged in the armed campaign and the conscious decision to allow the Army Council to fall into disuse.
'By taking these steps PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of armed conflict.'
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said the report confirmed that the IRA had ceased to function.
End of era: Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward today declared the IRA was effectively redundant following the IMC's key report
'This groundbreaking report by the IMC makes clear that the Army Council is now redundant,' he said.
He added: 'I urge people to read the report very carefully. As the IMC made clear, "the leadership structures have definitely ceased to function in the way they did during the time of conflict". Today's report confirms this has happened.
'PIRA has met its commitment. It has abandoned all terrorist structures, its recruitment and PIRA's so-called 'military' departments have ceased to function and have been disbanded.'
The British and Irish Governments had asked the IMC, made up of security experts and politicians from the UK and Ireland, to compile a special report on the status of IRA structures.
Prior to the official release of the report today, it was rumoured the IMC would conclude the Army Council was still in place, but was not engaged in any illegal activity.
Today in its report the IMC, which monitors paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland, said the IRA's redundant structures were gradually disappearing.
'We believe that for some time now it has given up what it used to do and that by design it is being allowed to wither away,' it said.
'There have not been and we do not foresee that there will be formal announcements about the disbandment of all or parts of the structure.'
It added: "In our view the way in which the leadership has adopted an entirely different course, disbanded terrorist-related structures and capacity and engaged in different activities, and members have moved on to other things, means that the PIRA of the recent and violent past is well beyond recall."
The Irish government welcomed the report as very positive and said it not only showed the IRA had gone away, but was not coming back.
It urged the parties in Northern Ireland to complete devolution by agreeing to assume responsibility for policing and justice.
Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, said: 'The Government welcomes this report and its conclusions as very positive.
'This report demonstrates not only that PIRA has gone away, but that it won't be coming back.
'The IMC could not have been more unequivocal in its conclusion that the provisional movement is now irreversibly locked into following the political path.'
The report said that the IRA had decommissioned its weapons and had taken a purely political path, adding that it was the only paramilitary group to have gone to such lengths.
Asked if the report would go far enough to meet DUP demands for a disbandment of the IRA Army Council, Mr Woodward insisted the IRA pose no threat.
He said: 'If there isn't an army, then actually what are we talking about here?'
dailymail.co.uk
