Ireland: "Continuity" IRA Claims Murder Of Police Officer

Earlier, On Saturday, two British soldiers were murdered as they collected a pizza delivery outside Massereene barracks in Co Antrim. "Real" IRA claimed responsibility.

Apparently "Real" & "Continuity" IRA doesn't like British presence in Ireland. US and UK have designated both groups as terrorist organizations.

The Continuity IRA today claimed responsibility for shooting a police officer in the head last night, in a second outbreak of violence against security services in Northern Ireland.

The dissident group said in a coded message that the shooting in Craigavon was carried out by its north Armagh battalion. "As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue," it said.

The latest victim was named as Constable Stephen Carroll, 48, a married man with a family from Banbridge in Co Down, who had more than 20 years' experience in the service.

Interesting to note, Obama had invited ex-IRA chief Martin McGuinness for a lavish celebration on St Patrick's Day. This is comparable to inviting Bill Ayers to the White House to celebrate his "fugitive days".

The Brits are infuriated over this, and rightly so, after Obama's snub of PM Gordon Brown. This comment earlier from the State Dept. didn't help matters :

The real views of many in Obama administration were laid bare by a State Department official involved in planning the Brown visit, who reacted with fury when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph about why the event was so low-key.

The official dismissed any notion of the special relationship, saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."

Thankfully, the planned visit has been put on hold. Not by Obama, instead by McGuiness.

Crossposted at Jawa Report