Hilary Benn challenged to stand with SAS soldiers who killed IRA men trying to murder RUC officers at Loughgall and Clonoe
Upper Bann MP Carla Lockhart has challenged the Secretary of State to stand with the SAS soldiers who killed IRA gangs trying to murder police officers at Loughgall and Clonoe.
She was speaking after the sister of an IRA man shot by the SAS at Loughgall in 1987 said NI secretary Hilary Benn has assured her that a legacy inquest into the killings will proceed.
Members of the Loughgall Truth and Justice Campaign met with Mr Benn on Monday.
Eight IRA men and a passing civilian were shot by the SAS in the Co Armagh village in 1987 as an IRA unit carried out an attack on a police station.
An inquest into the deaths was unable to be completed before a cut-off date imposed in the Legacy Act under the previous UK government.
However, Labour has said it will repeal elements of the Act, including restoring inquests.
Speaking after Monday's meeting with Mr Benn, Mairead Kelly, whose brother Patrick Kelly was killed at Loughgall, said Mr Benn had reassured them that efforts are ongoing to open a legacy inquest for them.
But Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart urged Mr Benn to stand with the SAS soldiers - who are also under scrutiny at present due to the shooting of IRA men at Clonoe in Co Tyrone.
The SAS shot dead four IRA members in Clonoe in 1992 after they attacked Coalisland RUC station. A recent legacy inquest found that the soldiers had used excessive force in the incident.
Ms Lockhart said: “The IRA mounted a killing operation in Loughgall. They sought to obliterate any RUC officer in the station.
"The IRA met real soldiers in Loughgall. Just like Clonoe, the IRA were armed to the teeth. They set out to kill and they were killed.”
She argued that despite attempts to “rewrite history”, 90% of Troubles killings were by terror groups, while police and army “stood in defence of democracy”.
It would be “useful to know”, she added, if Mr Benn shares the MOD’s determination to challenge the Clonoe inquest verdict.
NI Veterans Commissioner, David Johnstone, is backing the MOD legal challenge against the Clonoe findings.
If the Loughgall inquest also finds against the SAS, will the government also challenge this in the courts, he asked.
Mr Johnstone said he would "strongly contend" that this would "highlight the fallacy" of reintroducing the cancelled legacy inquests.
Veterans, he said, deserve "fairness and recognition for their service" and should not be subjected to attempts to "rewrite history with a skewed narrative of the facts", he added.
Kenny Donaldson, director of victims group SEFF, said "innocent victims” are concerned by comments flowing from the meeting with Mr Benn.
While the Loughgall families said Mr Benn had committed to a legacy inquest for them, Mr Benn’s public comments did not commit to this, Mr Donaldson noted.
"The Secretary of State,” he said, “needs to clarify whether a commitment has been made to the Loughgall families - aside from the 'consultation' supposedly taking place on inquests for which no agreed way forward has yet been determined".