RICHARD BENNETT MEDIA - AFI Research
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"If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear" - George Orwell
 

Richard Bennett, Senior Associate of AFI Research correctly predicted the upsurge in International Terrorism of the last year and in particular the IRA's growing involvement.

In the AFI Intelligence Briefing of 2nd May 2001 headed 'IRA Guns for Hire' he wrote;
 

'A development which will worry many Security professionals throughout the Western world is the growing willingness of ..... IRA hitmen to privatise their activities. Crime-related killings of businessmen, drug dealers, civil rights workers, lawyers and even Government officials ....... are being linked to the 'Irish mafia''..........becoming 'guns for hire'   and.............AFI Research predicts a considerable upsurge of terrorism within the UK, Europe, Middle East and Southern Asia. This time however, the USA may no longer be able to avoid the worst of the violence.'
 
The IRA is part of a Global terrorist network
 
According to a new report by the US Congress the IRA is now forming an important part of a global terror network based in Colombia where it helps train guerrilla groups in bombing making techniques. The report admits that the lives of US citizens are being put at risk by provisional IRA activity in Colombia and added that both Colombian democracy and US national security is threatened.
 
This report will form the basis of a House of Representatives' International Relations Committee hearing into the presence of IRA terrorists in Colombia. The report for the first time publicly confirms not only the AFI Briefing on 2/5/01 but subsequent Briefings which highlighted both the Provisional and Real IRA's involvement with international terrorism.  It adds that according to the Colombian authorities in Bogota, the IRA has not only operated on behalf of the FARC, but evidence strongly suggests the Irish terrorist organization has also worked closely with Iranian-sponsored terrorists, the Cubans and the Basque separatist movement ETA.

It the light of the damning evidence made available in both the USA and Colombia it is hardly surprising that Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams declined to appear before the committee at this time. Though political and security service apologists for the IRA in Britain have played down both the revelations of the true nature of the IRA's international terrorist credentials and the recent discovery of potential IRA 'hit-lists' of senior British Conservative Party politicians, AFI understands from sources both in the Republic of Ireland and Brussels that the IRA almost certainly have similar lists on the leadership of both the Labour and Liberal Democratic parties and indeed on senior business figures, the Royal Family and celebrities in the entertainment and sporting worlds, again confirming earlier AFI predictions that assassination may well play a major role in future terrorist planning.

Colombia a breeding ground for terrorist equalled only by Afghanistan

Gerry Adams is being increasingly exposed as a political leader of highly dubious standards for when he was asked to explain to the US committee why his representative in Cuba was among the three men arrested, the West Belfast MP claimed his testimony could prejudice the trial of the three Irish suspects. In fact after the arrest of Jim Monaghan, Martin McCauley and Niall Connolly in Colombia, Sinn Fein had initially denied that Mr Connolly was its political representative in Cuba. When it became apparent that this was untrue, the Mr Adams spokesman merely said Sinn Fein had made 'a mistake'. The fact that this brought little positive response from the British Government only suggests how many political reputations are now resting on the successful outcome of the Northern Ireland peace process.

The Provisional IRA, effectively the military wing of Sinn Fein also urgently needs to explain the obvious shift away from its traditional stance of non-involvement in the drugs trade. Though many in the intelligence services have long suspected the IRA of duplicity on the subject, their open involvement with the Colombian rebels can leave very little doubt that they are upto their necks in drug-related crime.  In a strongly-worded statement Henry Hyde, the chairman of the International Relations Committee, said that he had given "an opportunity for Mr Adams to offer some explanation about why two IRA explosives experts and a Sinn Fein political officer stationed in Cuba were arrested last August following a visit to a safe haven controlled by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, FARC, a designated terrorist organisation."

Congressman Hyde added: "FARC and other narco terrorist groups in Colombia are responsible for 90% of the cocaine and 70% of the heroin sold on America's streets. "Terrorism imperils Colombian democracy, and the alleged IRA role in helping groups like the FARC to perpetuate this violence poses a direct threat to US national interests." Mr Hyde concluded by bluntly stating that "Colombia is a potential breeding ground for international terror equalled perhaps only by Afghanistan, and the IRA findings are the strongest among these global links because of the arrests of the three Irish nationals and the accompanying evidence"

IRA turns arms decommissioning into a farce

The farce of IRA arms decommissioning only makes the position taken by politicians of all the major parties in Westminster even more untenably and dangerous. Both wings of the IRA are deeply involved in the world-wide illegal arms trade and have very effectively improved the quality of their arsenals. The great majority of the weapons previously held by the Provisionals were of no realistic military value and were expendable, particularly in return for the political kudos gained by their destruction. The Russian Surface-to-Air Missiles, Anti-Tank Rocket Launchers, modern Machine Guns, Automatic Rifles, Snipers Rifles and a wide range of newly acquired and advanced bomb making material remains safely under IRA control in dumps dotted around Ireland, the British mainland (particularly Scotland) and continental Europe.

Indeed 80% of the terrorist's armoury was old, damaged or without sufficient supplies of ammunition to remain as viable weapons. Even its large store of Semtex explosives, which have roughly a shelf-life of thirty years, were manufactured over 25 years ago and were fast approaching their 'sell by date'. New high explosives and detonators have now been acquired by both wings of the IRA from Spain and the Balkans and the presence of IRA 'engineers' in Colombia highlighted not only the Irish terrorists willingness to export their knowledge in return for very large sums of drug-related cash, but also the need to have a safe haven to practice with the new explosive devices developed by their bomb-making experts, well away from MI5 and the British Army surveillance.

The IRA have established links through their old allies ETA with a network of Islamic terrorist groups in Europe and the Middle East and despite the best endeavours of British Security a resumption of terrorist activity by the IRA cannot be ruled out. The fact that this time it may be co-ordinated with International terrorist groups including Al Qa'ida makes the threat that much worse and the rather naive British belief that the 'Irish Leopard can change its spots' even more disquieting.

Richard M. Bennett
 
 
 

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Richard M. Bennett is the author of FIGHTING FORCES a review of the worlds leading Armies, including many in the Middle East, published in September 2001 and is available from Barrons of New York  www.barronseduc.com  ISBN 0-7641-5343-9  and the forthcoming ESPIONAGE An encyclopedia of Spies and Secrets, which will be available from Virgin Books later this year.

Richard Bennett Media also provides coverage of specialist domestic Political, Social, and Law & Order issues and acts as consultants for international Film and TV Companies on military and espionage history. If quoting from this Media Briefing in anyway, please ensure that you credit Richard Bennett Media at all times

The AFI Research website lists many of our Associates and Contributors including  'America goes to War' at Orbat.com  and the defence coverage of Milnet.com.

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