British army to leave N Ireland

DUBLIN – Ireland welcomed yesterday the end of Britain’s nearly four-decade long military operation in Northern Ireland, saying it was another big step towards normality in the British province.

Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern, speaking ahead of the midnight (23h00 GMT) end of Operation Banner, said the change in Northern Ireland’s security situation has ‘been even more dramatic than we could have hoped’. “This is a further significant step towards the realisation of a normal, peaceful, and prosperous society in Northern Ireland,” he added in a statement.Operation Banner, at 38 years Britain’s longest-ever continuous campaign, saw more than 300 000 personnel serving, over 6 000 injured and 763 killed by paramilitaries during the bleak years of terrorism and sectarian bloodshed.All that will remain will be a 5 000-strong regular British garrison, with troops not on active service and ready for deployment around the world.Security will be solely the police’s responsibility.Northern Ireland was wracked for three decades of Troubles between Catholic militants seeking union with Ireland and Protestants backing Britain’s sovereignty over the province.Ahern noted that the troop reduction programme had been agreed by Dublin and London in 2003, with an updated accord in July 2005 after the IRA announced the end of its armed struggle.Nampa-AFP”This is a further significant step towards the realisation of a normal, peaceful, and prosperous society in Northern Ireland,” he added in a statement.Operation Banner, at 38 years Britain’s longest-ever continuous campaign, saw more than 300 000 personnel serving, over 6 000 injured and 763 killed by paramilitaries during the bleak years of terrorism and sectarian bloodshed.All that will remain will be a 5 000-strong regular British garrison, with troops not on active service and ready for deployment around the world.Security will be solely the police’s responsibility.Northern Ireland was wracked for three decades of Troubles between Catholic militants seeking union with Ireland and Protestants backing Britain’s sovereignty over the province.Ahern noted that the troop reduction programme had been agreed by Dublin and London in 2003, with an updated accord in July 2005 after the IRA announced the end of its armed struggle.Nampa-AFP