DUDLEY KNOX LIBRARY
Naval Postgraduate School
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DUDLEY KNOX LIBRARY |
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Description
Radical terrorist group formed in 1969 as
clandestine armed wing of Sinn Fein, a legal political movement
dedicated to removing British forces from Northern Ireland and unifying
Ireland. Has a Marxist orientation. Organized into small, tightly knit
cells under the leadership of the Army Council.
Activities
Bombings, assassinations, kidnappings,
punishment beatings, extortion, and robberies. Targets have included
senior British Government officials, British military and police in
Northern Ireland, and Northern Irish Loyalist paramilitary groups.
Bombing campaigns have been conducted against train and subway stations
and shopping areas on mainland Britain, as well as against British and
Royal Ulster Constabulary targets in Northern Ireland and a British
military facility on the European Continent. The IRA has been observing
a cease-fire since July 1997 and previously observed a cease-fire from 1
September 1994 to February 1996.
Strength
Largely unchanged--several hundred members, plus
several thousand sympathizers--but the IRA's strength may have been
affected by operatives leaving the organization to join hardline
splinter groups.
Local/Area of Operation
Northern Ireland, Irish Republic,
Great Britain, and Europe.
External Aid
Has received aid from a variety of groups and
countries and considerable training and arms from Libya and, at one
time, the PLO. Is suspected of receiving funds and arms from
sympathizers in the United States. Similarities in operations suggest
links to the ETA.
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