Increased British military activity
Sinn Féin councillor Brian Cunningham is angry over increased British
military presence in the Keady, Derrynoose, Grangemore and Middletown
areas of South Armagh in recent weeks.
Cunningham said: ``There has been increased British army and RIR
activity in recent weeks, particularly helicopter flights and
checkpoints. It is no coincidence that this is happening while the
Parachute Regiment is stationed in Middletown barracks.
``On Sunday in Middletown a helicopter flew at just above rooftop
level. It then flew low over a foal in a field at the back of a
house, frightening the animal which ran into a fence and injured
itself. The owner of the animal has complained to the British army
about this incident.''
People in the area are particularly worried that this activity is
happening at a time when collusion between loyalist death squads and
crown forces is becoming more overt.
``On Monday, I received a complaint from a constituent in Keady about
15 British soldiers who were dropped from a helicopter on the
Castleblaney Road. These soldiers were then seen making sketches of
local houses and buildings,'' he said. ``Last Friday at a wedding
reception in Middletown the RIR and a British military policewoman
set up a checkpoint outside the premises and the RIR took photographs
of the guests at the reception''.
Cunningham also had concerns about the safety of some of the
locations of the checkpoints which have been set up. ``Several
checkpoints in the past week have been in dangerous places. On the
Derrynoose Road at the end of last week a checkpoint at a hazardous
bend caused an accident in which a baby was injured when a car ran
into another car.''
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