Dissident Inquiry

Dissident Inquiry

Dissident terrorists who failed to explode their 300lb Bomb in Aughnacloy, County Tyrone on the 17th of June 2010, have initiated an inquiry as to why the bomb did not explode. Two terrorist Active Service Units are believed to have been involved in the cowardly attack, one Unit (Aidan 2) from the area of Blackwatertown (Armagh/Tyrone border) and the second Unit (Charlie 1) from the rural area known as Scotstown in County Monaghan. Both of these Units are headed by well seasoned terrorists who are known to the security services on both sides of the border. The terrorists had hoped that this soft target would have boosted morale within their ranks, due to recent successes by both the PSNI and the Gardai against their operations.

The dissidents will be trying to establish if the bomb failed to explode due to a technical error or whether the bomb was compromised by a security agent within their ranks, the latter is highly unlikely as both these Units are extremely tight and have learned hard lessons from their time in the Provisional IRA which was riddled with informers, particularly in Monaghan. The leader of (Charlie 1) Unit is continuing to pursue the Maoist philosophy adopted by his former PIRA Commander Jim Lynagh, this philosophy is based on using a campaign of physical and psychological coercion against both the security services and anyone who supports them. This tactic was easily pursued in the 1980s as the enemy was identified as the security services and the Protestant community who supported them; however, in 2010 this philosophy is compromised by the fact that the PSNI is supported by the majority of Catholics in the north.

Augnacloy was seen as a soft target as its main military installations have been decommissioned by the British since the GFA. The only security presence in Aughnacloy now is the PSNI station on the Dungannon Road. This attack has been in the planning for some weeks and would have been carried out earlier if Sinn Fein had lost the Fermanagh/South Tyrone seat in the Westminster elections. Had Sinn Fein lost the seat, the dissidents believed that an attack would have shown the Catholics in Fermanagh/South Tyrone that nothing had changed, it would not have been an attack out of frustration at Sinn Fein losing the seat, to the contrary, the dissidents wanted Sinn Fein to lose the seat. The election happened to coincide with the anniversary of Bobby Sand’s death on hunger strike and also the summary executions of eight IRA men at Loughgall by the SAS in 1987. Had this scenario been played out in full it was hoped it would have been a recruiting sergeant for the dissidents. Once the bomb was placed in position on Thursday 17th, it would have taken only two minutes for the terrorists to drive across the border into County Monaghan.

Notes:
Augnacloy has a long history of suffering due to sectarianism on Friday, the 30th of October, 1818, two Catholics, Michael and Rose Mc Kenna (heavily pregnant) were shot dead by a group of both Orangemen and Yeomen seven other Catholics were seriously injured. In the early 1970s local Protestants such as Dennis Wilson and Franklin Caddoo were murdered by the IRA. Owen Boyle was murdered by loyalist terrorists. Robert Morrow was murdered by the IRA. Aidan Mac Anespie was shot dead by a British soldier in 1988. Vincent Mac Anespie is presently before the Courts for the attempted murder in 1981 of a local postman. However, even with this history both communities in Augnacloy have been working hard to build a strong and vibrant community, the dissident attack will strengthen rather than weaken that spirit.