The destruction of two British army watchtowers in the North following the IRA's decommissioning announcement on Tuesday will be done within 10 days, it was confirmed today.
|
|
British army engineer cuts into an
observation tower in south Armagh |
As British army crews continued cutting through the metal structures at two lookout posts in south Armagh, their commanding officer said they would be pulled down without any further delay.
Maj Alastair Balgarnie said: "The towers will be gone within 10 days."
Dismantling work on top of Sturgan Mountain work began yesterday. Demilitarisation is also under way at a similar post on neighbouring Camlough Mountain.
Work to pull down an installation in Newtownhamilton, Co Armagh, and an army base at Magherafelt, Co Derry, has also begun.
Up to 300 tonnes of equipment will have to be flown off the Sturgan Mountain building, Maj Balgarnie said.
It will take up to a year to return the mountaintop to its original greenfield site.
On Tuesday, the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) said it had witnessed the IRA begin to decommission its arsenal of weapons, including guns, ammunition and explosives.
The IRA earlier announced that "in order to save the peace process, we have implemented the scheme agreed with the IICD in August".
On Monday Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams had called on the IRA to make a "ground-breaking" gesture to save the North's peace process.