As the peace process gathered pace in Northern Ireland, the war on the ground did not simply stop.
In episode seven of SAS: The Shadow War, The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley hears how the mission changed as political negotiations moved closer to a deal. Former SAS commanders describe hunting an IRA sniper team, mounting a huge surveillance operation and, increasingly, being told that restraint mattered as much as force.
One commander recalls warning his men that, in the context of the peace process, the death of an IRA member could carry consequences far beyond the battlefield.
As the Good Friday Agreement approached, the episode asks how soldiers adapted when winning the fight was no longer the only objective, and whether the shadow war helped bring the conflict to an end.
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