SAS Veterans Criticize Legal Challenges, Judges Uphold Justified Force

0:00On April 16, two former top army commanders are blasting the use of public cash to target SAS veterans from Northern Ireland ops. A bill-fast judge just shut down a second appeal from the family of an IRA fighter killed in the 1991 SAS ambush in Coa County, Tyrone, upholding that lethal force was justified against three armed paramilitaries. The SAS had intel on an IRA hit squad targeting an ex-Olster defense regiment member in a car park. Soldiers posed as the target, and when one gunman swung open a door with a rifle ready, they fired back, taking out the threat in seconds. The challenger's dad was part of that unit, and she's his daughter, pushing the case with legal aid. Former army head general Sir Peter Wall and general Sir Nick Parker say this waste taxpayer money on baseless suits, dragging vets through years of stress. They want the government to rethink its troubles bill, which ditch protections from the old legacy act. Judges called the claims ridiculous.

1:02Stressing soldier B faced a split-second life or death call against killers in a car. He acted with restraint. Lady Chief Justice Savon Keegan questioned if public funds were well spent on what boiled down to disagreeing with facts. The Ministry of Defense welcomes the ruling as part of sorting the trouble's messy legacy, but voices like ex-SAS reservists or David Davis call it A, scandal of injustice dressed as law. These fights keep highlighting how old wounds still pull at veterans and families alike.