Planning
According to journalist Ed Moloney, the IRA Army Council, suspecting a great deal of penetration by informers at the grassroots level of the organisation, decided to form an experimental flying column (instead of the usual active service unit) to mount a large-scale operation against a permanent vehicle checkpoint along the border. The goal was to find an effective way to prevent any information leak that could result in another fiasco like the Loughgall Ambush in 1987.
Moloney maintains that the planning was in the charge of Thomas Murphy, alleged leader of the South Armagh Brigade, and that the raid was to be led by East Tyrone Brigade member Michael "Pete" Ryan. Journalist Ian Bruce, instead claims that an Irish citizen who served in the Parachute Regiment was the leader of the IRA unit, citing intelligence sources. The column was made up of volunteers from throughout Northern Ireland. It would be composed of about 20 IRA members, but the attack itself was to be the responsibility of 11 IRA members.
Read more about this topic: Attack On Derryard Checkpoint
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