THE High Court in Belfast has ordered the Ministry of Defence to hand over documents relating to the SAS killings of eight IRA men in Loughgall, Co Armagh, 26 years ago.
The case for the disclosure of the files was brought by the families of three of the men who died - Declan Arthurs, Patrick Kelly and Padraig McKearney.
The relatives want the papers to help their lawyers to prepare a civil action against the MoD over what they've called the 'unlawful killings'
Undercover soldiers shot the IRA men as they approached Loughgall police station with a 200 bomb in the bucket of a hijacked digger in May 1987.
A civilian, Anthony Hughes, was killed and his brother badly wounded when they were caught up in the gunfire.
At the High Court yesterday morning Master Bell made the order against the MoD after saying it was imperative that the case moved on.
Afterwards Declan Arthurs' brother Brian said he welcomed the court's decision and said the families wanted full disclosure from the Ministry of Defence adding "We don't want a charade"