The Five Demands

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Due soldati britannici morti e quattro feriti, questo il bilancio dell’attacco lanciato ieri contro la base armata di Massereene nella contea di Antrim, a 25 km da Belfast.
Le indagini del PSNI sono tutt’ora in corso. L’attacco è avvenuto ieri sera alle 21.40 quando alcuni colpi da arma da fuoco sono stati sparati, pare da un’auto in corsa, mentre le porte della base, 38 Engineer Regiment, erano state aperte per permettere la consegna di pizze a domicilio.
I sospetti sono tutti rivolti verso appartenenti a gruppi di dissidenti repubblicani. L’attentato sarebbe stato rivendicato dalla Real Ira secondo fonti giornalistiche di Dublino.
Ovvie le reazioni di condanna provenienti da tutti i partiti politici. Un portavoce di Downing Street ha condannato l’attacco ed ha dichiarato che i pensieri del Primo Ministro britannico Gordon Brown, sono rivolti ai familiari delle vittime e dei feriti. L’escalation degli attacchi attribuiti ai dissidenti repubblicani, culminati con l’attentato di ieri sera, sono stati giudicati come un chiaro attacco al processo di pace attualmente in corso. In  risposta, le parti politiche hanno assicurato che tale processo non subirà alcun deragliamento.

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TWO SOLDIERS DIE IN “BARBARIC” ARMY ATTACK (Newsletter)
The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that two soldiers have been shot dead during a gun attack at an army base.
A spokesman said “four other personnel” were injured, one of them critically, in the 9.40pm attack at Massereene army base in Antrim.
At this stage dissident republicans are thought to be involved, although no one has said their gunmen carried out
the attack.
Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward condemned the shootings as “an act of criminal barbarism”.
First reports have suggested all those killed and injured were male. The MoD said the next of kin of the dead soldiers had been informed.
Mr Woodward added: “My thoughts are with the families of those killed and injured in this murderous attack.
“The contrast between those who serve the community and those who would destroy it could not be clearer. The people who did this will be pursued and they will never stop the political process in Northern Ireland.”
The MoD statement said the attack was being investigated by the PSNI.
All four injured men have been taken to Antrim Area Hospital, about a mile away from the scene.
The condition of some were said to be serious.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “This is a terrible incident that we utterly condemn and the Prime Minister’s thoughts, first and foremost, are with the families of those killed and with those seriously injured in this attack.
“In recent days action has been taken to increase security in Northern Ireland. This is because of the increased threat from those who, even at this late stage, wish to ignore the wishes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Northern Ireland and attempt to derail the peace process.
“The full facts of this incident are being investigated. We will do everything we can to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.”
Witnesses reported hearing two long busts of gunfire as a car drove by the barracks – home to 38 Engineer Regiment.
At least six ambulances and three paramedic vehicles rushed to the scene as emergency sirens blared from inside the complex.
The injured were taken to Antrim Area Hospital, about a mile away.
Last night and this morning the area around the barracks has been sealed off with a massive security operation under way.
A statement from the Ministry of Defence said: “It is with deep regret that we confirm the deaths of two soldiers and injuries to four other persons in an attack at Massereene Barracks in Antrim, Northern Ireland.
“The next of kin are being informed and further information will be released in due course. The circumstances and details of the attack are currently under investigation by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).”
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson said he was postponing a trip to the United States as a result of the shootings.
He said they were a “terrible reminder of the events of the past”.
Mr Robinson added: “These murders were a futile act by those who command no public support and have no prospect of success in their campaign. It will not succeed.”
Ian Paisley Jr, a DUP member of the Policing Board, said: “This could be a defining moment in the history of Northern Ireland.”
“For the last 10 years, people believed things like this happened in foreign countries, places like Basra. Unfortunately it has returned to our doorstep.
“There are people who have been intent on murdering police officers or soldiers, or someone else, to strike home and galvanise support for some mad cause. This is where we are tonight.
“Some people also tried to exaggerate that message, and if this shooting is attributed to dissident republicans, then it was no exaggeration.
“The police have managed to keep the lid on this and they have had some successes against these people which they’ve kept quiet. They have disrupted and harried them, but its the people of Northern Ireland who will suffer.”
Security chiefs have been warning for months that dissident republicans were determined to inflict fatalities. Five police officers, two of them off-duty, were wounded in separate gun and bomb attacks in Londonderry, Dungannon and Rosslea.
There have also been a series of failed bomb attacks, one just a few weeks ago near Castlewellan, Co Down.
The last soldier to be murdered in Northern Ireland was Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick, 23, who was shot by an IRA sniper at a checkpoint in Bessbrook, County Armagh in February 1997.