A SENIOR member of the Irish Republican Socialist Party, the INLA's political wing, is critically ill in hospital after another shooting in the INLA fend.
Mr Joe Keenan (37) was sitting with his wife and their 10 week old baby in the living room of their home in Croaghan Gardens, Andersonstown, Belfast, on Tuesday night when a number of shots were fired through the window.
He was hit seven times and taken to the City Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. His condition is described as critical.
His wife and baby were uninjured but were treated for shock. His four other children were upstairs at the time of the attack. His relatives yesterday declined to talk to the press.
The INLA "GHQ" group claimed responsibility for shooting him. Mr Keenan was a friend of the former INLA chief of staff, Gino Gallagher, whom the GHQ group killed earlier this year.
The feud started when people who are now members of the GHQ group were expelled from the INLA last year. They had been in favour of the organisation declaring a unilateral ceasefire.
They shot Gallagher dead at a dole office in west Belfast in January. The INLA responded by killing a leading member of the GHQ group, John Fennell, in Bundoran, Co Donegal, in March. He was beaten to death with a breeze block.
A week later the INLA killed Barbara McAlorum (9) when they opened fire on a house in north Belfast.
Since then, there have been no other deaths in the INLA feud, although there have been several gun attacks.