NI soldiers 'bound for Afghanistan'
Two British soldiers shot dead outside a military barracks in Northern Ireland were wearing desert fatigues and just minutes away from leaving for Afghanistan, it was revealed.
They were ambushed by terrorists firing automatic rifles as they were about to take delivery of pizzas before catching a flight to Helmand.
The ruthlessness of the shootings which rocked the peace process and shocked political representatives in Belfast, London and Dublin, left two other soldiers badly wounded. Two delivery men were also hit, one critically.
Security chiefs believe the gunmen were prepared to murder all six in front of the main gates of the Massereene Barracks at Antrim. At one stage the killers stood over their victims and fired a second volley.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, who had earlier called in undercover soldiers to carry out surveillance operations in a bid to thwart a heightening threat against his officers, ruled out putting troops back on the streets.
But the planning and execution of this double-murder after a series of failed attacks over the past two years will mean an immediate and urgent review of security measures.
There are an estimated 200-300 dissident republicans active in Northern Ireland, and even though no more than a dozen may have been directly involved, detectives believe the two masked gunmen who opened up before being driven off in a getaway car on Saturday night were clearly experienced in the use of high powered weaponry.
Sir Hugh said: "This was an act by an increasingly desperate small group of increasingly desperate people who are determined to drag 99% of this community back to where they don't want to go."
Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen insisted the killings would not disrupt the peace process. However the Northern Ireland First Minister Peter Robinson and the deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness have delayed a planned visit to the United States which was due to end next Tuesday with a St Patrick's Day meeting with President Obama at the White House.
The names of the dead soldiers have been withheld until all their relatives have been informed. They were due to fly out of RAF Aldergrove, just a few miles away from their base in the early hours of Sunday.
