South Armagh Republican Action Force

According to writers such as Ed Moloney and Richard English, it was a cover name used by some members of the Provisional IRA South Armagh Brigade.

[1][2] The journalist Jack Holland, alleged that members of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) were also involved in the group.

According to Malcolm Sutton's database at CAIN, the South Armagh Republican Action Force was responsible for 24 deaths during the conflict, all of whom were classified as civilians.

Loyalist paramilitaries, fearing they were about to be forsaken by the British government and forced into a united Ireland,[5] increased their attacks on Catholics.

The fall-off of regular operations had caused serious problems of internal discipline and some IRA members, with or without permission from higher up, engaged in tit-for-tat killings.

[10] Shortly after, the Orange Order called for the creation of a legal militia (or "Home Guard") to deal with republican paramilitaries.

[13] In contrast, a 2011 Historical Enquiries Team investigation into the incident determined that Provisional IRA volunteers were responsible for the attack despite the organisation being on an official ceasefire, and found that the victims had been targeted because of their religion.