Re: Stop trying to re-write history
I was just pointing out that there were more terrorists in N. Ireland than just the republicans.
I was also responding to the original statement by the ex head of MI5 that the IRA did not TARGET civilians with any great strength of conviction
People in Britain are sensitive to the deaths of people on the mainland - but many thousands more were killed over here in N. Ireland 'on British soil'.
I am responding to the idea that some people had that all 3532 people who died were innocent civilians killed by the IRA.
The IRA killed over 2000 people - that is abhorrent, just don't whitewash the rest.
The British army killing IRA people were not killing civilians, however in trying to kill enemy combatants they managed to kill a even higher proportion of civilians than the IRA did while trying to kill them.
Approximately 60% of the dead were killed by republicans, 30% by loyalists and 10% by British security forces.
Responsibility for killing
Responsible party No.
Republican paramilitary groups 2058
Loyalist paramilitary groups 1027
British security forces 363
Persons unknown 79
Irish security forces 5
Total 3532
According to Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland:
Of those killed by republican paramilitaries:
1080 (~52%) were members/former members of the British security forces
723 (~35%) were civilians
187 (~9%) were members of republican paramilitaries
57 (~2.7%) were members of loyalist paramilitaries
11 (~0.5%) were members of the Irish security forces
Of those killed by British security forces:
187 (~51.5%) were civilians
145 (~39.9%) were members of republican paramilitaries
18 (~4.9%) were members of loyalist paramilitaries
13 (~3.5%) were fellow members of the British security forces
Of those killed by loyalist paramilitaries:
878 (~85.4%) were civilians
94 (~9%) were members of loyalist paramilitaries
41 (~4%) were members of republican paramilitaries
14 (~1%) were members of the British security forces
Also if the British Army are accountable under law then why is there so much annoyance over some of them being prosecuted for what was done.