No shoot-to-kill missions against IRA, says former SAS officer
Summary
Former SAS officer George Simm has denied that the unit carried out shoot-to-kill missions during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. He described a 1988 ambush near Omagh in which three IRA members were killed, and criticized the UK government’s proposed legislation on the conflict’s legacy, while the government says the bill includes safeguards for veterans.Key Facts
- Simm served with the SAS in Northern Ireland during the 1970s and 1980s and says he took part in hundreds of operations.
- He said the SAS arrested more people than it killed, though there are no official figures for killings carried out by the unit.
- Simm commanded the SAS unit involved in the 1988 Drumnakilly ambush near Omagh, where three IRA members were killed.
- The three men were Gerard Harte, Martin Harte and Brian Mullan, who, according to the article, planned to kill an off-duty member of the Ulster Defence Regiment.
- Simm said the IRA members fired at soldiers during the ambush and that the soldiers opened fire after one man ran around the truck.
- Simm criticized the UK government’s proposed Troubles legacy legislation, saying it abandoned veterans.
- The Northern Ireland Office said the proposed bill includes safeguards for veterans and requires consideration of the Army’s operational context and orders.
- The Troubles lasted about 30 years and caused more than 3,500 deaths.
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