IRA heirs unite in attacks on the British crown

Three of the four main dissident terrorist groups in Northern Ireland have united in a new paramilitary organization to continue the operations of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and organize attacks on symbols of the British crown.

As reported by the British "Guardian", the "Real IRA", the "Republican Action Against Drugs", known for the campaign of extortion and murders in the city of Derry, and the alliance of several independent armed republican groups united. Only the "IRA Continuity" organization was left out of the new group.

The group was also joined by some smaller independent groups from Belfast and less developed areas in Northern Ireland.

According to the sources of the British newspaper, the group consists of several hundred armed dissidents.

The new organization plans to intensify terrorist attacks on security forces and other targets associated with symbols of the British presence, the "Guardian" states, and reminds that this is the first time since 1998 that armed groups in Northern Ireland have united.

That year, an agreement was signed between the Irish and British governments that established a ceasefire after decades of violence due to British rule.

According to the British newspaper, the new organization plans to attack police stations, regional offices of Ulster Bank, as well as the celebration of the "British City of Culture 2013" event in the city of Derry.

Extremists consider the celebration a symbol of "the normalization of British rule."

The group emphasizes the necessity of an armed struggle against the British crown for a free Ireland and states that this scenario can only be avoided if the British army withdraws from Northern Ireland, according to "The Guardian".

"The establishment of a free and independent Ireland in recent years has been set back due to bad leadership and disunity between Irish nationalists and republicans," the new extremist group said in a statement.

The new group actually recalls the split that followed between hard-line republicans, opponents of the peace agreement with the British, and Sinn Féin - the political wing of the IRA.

Sinn Féin leader Martin McGuinness is criticized for agreeing to take part in power-sharing, which came into effect in 2007.

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