Labour hands IRA new propaganda coup and leaves SAS heroes in fear of prosecution 38 years after ridding us of eight terrorists

SAS heroes who took part in the regiment’s biggest victory over the IRA were threatened with murder charges after Labor surrendered.

24 soldiers have been prosecuted after the government bowed to Republicans over the possibility of a new inquiry and investigation into the 1987 IRA attack in Loughgall.

An eight-man IRA unit launched an attack on the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) base in County Armagh, Northern Ireland.

However, the militants were killed by waiting SAS soldiers after receiving intelligence that the terrorists were to continue the attack.

Despite coming under attack from IRA rebels carrying assault rifles and armed with 400lb bombs, the soldiers are accused of disregarding human rights by killing the terrorists.

The Loughgall attack was carried out on the orders of Jim ‘The Executioner’ Lynagh and Padraig McKearney, two of the leading members of the IRA in the late 80s, who were killed in the attack.

The new threat to veterans comes as Remembrance Sunday ceremonies are held this weekend to commemorate the sacrifices of the Armed Forces.

In the 38 years since the attack at Loughgall, no British soldier has said a word publicly about it.

The Loughgall attack was carried out on the orders of ‘Hangman’ Jim Lynagh and Padraig McKearney, two of the IRA’s leading members in the late 80s.

Now a veteran of an SAS operation who has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder for decades has broken the silence.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, he criticizes Labour’s treatment of veterans and its capitulation to the Republican agenda in Northern Ireland.

The decision to launch a new investigation into the Loughgall attack and eight other incidents came after Soldier F, a former member of the Parachute Regiment, was cleared of murder on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

The SAS hero said: ‘This is a ridiculous betrayal of the soldiers; politicians are completely wrong.

‘They hang soldiers out to dry, traumatize veterans and undermine operations today because young troops are afraid they will be treated the same way if they open fire.’

He added: ‘Loughgall was a defensive rearguard action against IRA thugs. We did our job for our country and that’s why we are being persecuted.

‘After flashbacks and nightmares I wake up in a cold sweat, which is scary for my partner, and I still suffer from my injuries that day.’

Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing following multiple investigations, the soldier and his colleagues faced further legal hell after Labor repealed the Tory Succession Act, which brought protection to soldiers.

New investigations and possible criminal investigations will be based on the application of European human rights law.

Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) states that everyone’s right to life must be protected by law and that no one can be deliberately deprived of his life except as a punishment following a fair trial. Regarding the Loughgall attack, Republicans argued in court that security forces could not prevent loss of life.

But the decorated soldier added: ‘As the IRA opened fire, bullets were ricocheting everywhere and the explosion of the bucket bomb caused the police station to partially collapse. There was dust and debris everywhere. I couldn’t hear, I couldn’t see, the radios weren’t working and I thought the SAS soldier next to me had been killed. It was complete confusion.

‘We later found out that it was the IRA’s top men who attacked us. ‘They had been operating since the 1970s and were responsible for many deaths.’

A petition calling for an end to the persecution has gathered more than 200,000 signatures, the Daily Mail has campaigned to protect veterans of the Troubles.

Ex-soldiers say legal attacks on soldiers are being carried out by the Government’s Northern Ireland Office (NIO) and the Ministry of Defense is failing to defend veterans.

Veterans protested in London against repeated historical investigations into their actions on the battlefield. The Mail’s SAS Stop Betrayal campaign highlighted these issues

The Conservative Legacy Act, introduced in 2023 by then veterans minister Johnny Mercer, has created obstacles to investigations.

But last year the High Court and Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the immunity clause was unlawful and contrary to the ECHR.

The government introduced the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill last month, which aims to create a new framework for addressing Troubles-related deaths.

Last month, Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn told the House of Commons that ‘nine inquests would be restarted’ and the remaining 24 would enter what she called a ‘screening process’ to decide whether to hand them over to the Government’s new Heritage Commission for investigation. Mr Benn said Loughgall was one of nine but the other eight were unaccounted for.

The NIO overturned the Ministry of Defense (MoD) decision on whether to launch a further investigation into Loughgall. Sources said there were ‘angry fights’ between officials as the Ministry of Defense failed to defend the soldiers.

Former SAS Sergeant Major George Simm said: ‘How many examples of this civil rights law stupidity do the British people have to witness before those living in the parallel universe finally realize that the NIO’s cunning plans are damaging the security of the country?’

An NIO spokesman said: ‘The Northern Ireland Troubles Bill sets out the criteria for restarting investigations initiated and discontinued by the Succession Act.’