BRITISH ARMY DOCUMENT SAYS IRA UNDEFEATED 07/06/07 10:40 EST

An internal British army document examining 37 years of
deployment in Northern Ireland contains the claim by one
expert that it failed to defeat the IRA.


The admission is contained in a discussion document released
by the Ministry of Defense after a request under the Freedom
of Information Act.


The 100 page document analyzes in detail the British army's
role over 37 years.


It focuses on specific operations and gives an overview of
its performance.


The six-month study, covering the period 1968-2005, was
prepared under the direction of the then chief of general
staff, General Sir Mike Jackson.


The document, obtained by the Pat Finucane Centre, points to
a number of mistakes, including internment and highlights
what lessons have been learned.


It describes the IRA as "a professional, dedicated, highly
skilled and resilient force", while loyalist paramilitaries
and other republican groups are described as "little more
than a collection of gangsters".


It concedes for the first time that it did not win the
battle against the IRA - but claims to have "shown the IRA
that it could not achieve its ends through violence".


In a statement, the Pat Finucane Centre - the Derry-based
human rights group - said the document "betrays a profoundly
colonial mindset towards the conflict here and those
involved in it".


"Loyalist violence and the links between loyalist
paramilitaries and the state has been airbrushed out of this
military history," it said.


In a statement issued on Friday, an Army spokesman said:
"This publication considers the high level general issues
that might be applicable to any future counter-terrorist
campaign that the British Armed Forces might have to undertake."


"It is critically important to consider what was learned by
those who served in Northern Ireland."
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