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Members of killer army unit break 40-year silence

Members of a shadowy British army unit responsible for a number of killings in the early days of the Troubles have broken a 40-year silence to reveal details of its controversial history.

Former soldiers from the under-cover Military Reconnaissance Force (MRF) have spoken to BBC Panorama reporter John Ware about how they "took the war to the IRA, sometimes even imitating the IRA itself".

Among those killed by the unit in the 14 months before it was disbanded were west Belfast man Patrick McVeigh, pictured, a shipbuilder shot dead as he stood with a group of residents in may 1972. Eyewitnesses disputed reports of an IRA gun battle at the time, but the soldiers did not appear at the inquest and it recorded an open verdict.

Pat McVeigh said it wasn't until six weeks after her father's death that the family were told it had been carried out by plain-clothes soldiers.

"My father was a hard-working father-of-six, he worked since he was 14, but after his murder there was a slur on his good name,'' she said.

"I want my father's name cleared and for those responsible to be called to give evidence at a new inquest and tell the truth about what happened." Solicitor Padraig O muirigh said: "In light of the new evidence gathered by John Ware we will be contacting the Attorney General calling for fresh inquests and also launching civil action against the moD".

A spokesman for the ministry of Defence said it has referred Panorama's allegations to police.

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