South Armagh Sniper (1990–97)

South Armagh sniper campaign (1990–97)
Part of the Troubles and Operation Banner
A "Sniper at Work" sign in Crossmaglen
Date March 1990 to March 1997 Location Southern County Armagh Result Mobility of foot patrols further restricted
Belligerents
Provisional IRA	United Kingdom British Army Royal Ulster Constabulary
Commanders and leaders
Frank McCabe	Captain Rupert Thorneloe Staff Sergeant Gaz Hunter
Strength
2 sniper teams	Several British Army sections RUC patrols 1 SAS unit
Casualties and losses
1 sniper team captured	7 soldiers killed 2 constables killed 1 constable wounded
Another soldier in Belfast and an RUC officer in County Fermanagh were killed by IRA snipers in the same period

 United Kingdom

The South Armagh Sniper is the name given to the members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army's (IRA) South Armagh Brigade who conducted a sniping campaign against British security forces from 1990 to 1997. The campaign is notable for the snipers' use of .50 BMG calibre Barrett M82 and M90 long-range rifles in some of the shootings.

One of the first leaders of the Provisional IRA, Seán Mac Stíofáin, supported the use of snipers in his book Memories of a Revolutionary, attracted by the motto "one shot, one kill". The majority of soldiers shot dead in 1972 (the bloodiest year of the conflict in Northern Ireland) fell victim to IRA snipers.

About 180 British soldiers, Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officers and Her Majesty's Prison Service prison staff members were killed in this way from 1971 to 1991.

The AR-18 Armalite rifle became the weapon of choice for IRA members at this time.

The British Army assessment of the conflict asserted that the IRA sniping skills often did not match those expected from a well-trained sniper. The report identifies four different patterns of small arms attacks during the IRA campaign, the last being that developed by the South Armagh sniper units.

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