Army mission in Northern Ireland finally over

AFP via Yahoo UK news ^ | 31.07.07 | Anon

[Winniesboy]

The army's operation in Northern Ireland comes to an end Wednesday after nearly four decades, another symbolic milestone on the path to peace in the long-troubled province.

The military landmark, from midnight (2300 GMT) Tuesday, comes two months after self-rule was restored in Belfast following a historic power-sharing deal between former Protestant and Catholic foes.

Operation Banner, at 38 years the army'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 garrison, with troops not on active service and ready for deployment around the world. Security will be solely the police's responsibility.

The change has been marked with a service of remembrance for the fallen soldiers at St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast.

While it will have little impact on the ground -- the army began to scale down its role in 2005 -- the official end of Operation Banner is a key marker point in Northern Ireland's transition from a grim backwater blighted by terrorism to a peaceful province with prospects.

In May this year, hardline Protestants and Catholic parties agreed to share power in the restored, self-rule Northern Ireland Assembly -- something which would have been unthinkable during the sectarian ravages of "The Troubles."

The role of troops on the streets of Northern Ireland was a highly controversial aspect of The Troubles -- the decades of strife between majority Protestants, who largely want the province to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Catholics favouring integration into the Republic of Ireland.

First deployed in 1969 to help restore order during sectarian riots, almost 30,000 soldiers patrolled the streets of Northern Ireland during the darkest days.

The operation's end is timely, with the military stretched by 7,000- and 5,500-strong deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq respectively.

Officially, the armed forces' mission in the province was to help the police defeat terrorism and maintain order to help in "returning Northern Ireland to normality."

"The ending of Operation Banner is a moment for reflection," said Colonel Wayne Harber, deputy commander of 39 Infantry Brigade -- the last operational brigade in the province.

"The great thing is the ending of the conflict in Northern Ireland and the optimism with which the people look forward to the future; we share that optimism."

Catholics broadly welcomed the soldiers at first in 1969, but opinion soon turned amid accusations of bias and troops found themselves in the sights of the paramilitary Irish Republican Army (IRA).

In 1972, paratroopers shot 13 men dead during a civil rights march in an incident known as Bloody Sunday, one of the key events in The Troubles.

The last soldier killed was shot dead at a road block in 1997.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement between Northern Ireland's political factions and the British and Irish governments largely ended the 30 years of violence.

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said in a statement to MPs that the change marked the beginnind of a new era.

"As with other parts of the country, the military will become very much part of the community.

"We should take this opportunity to remember the commitment, bravery and sacrifice of all those who have served over so many years in helping deliver the current, more settled and more optimistic circumstances."

[Tax-chick]

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