Tribute to dead British soldiers

A memorial service has been held in honour of two British soldiers shot by dissident republicans in Northern Ireland at the weekend.

Hundreds of people attended the service at Massereene barracks in Antrim, where the 21 and 23 year old soldiers were gunned down. Both were due to be deployed to Afghanistan.

The killings came days before the deadly shooting of a policeman by another IRA splinter group on Monday night.

Sinn Fein’s leader Gerry Adams said the attacks would not jeopardise the peace process.

‘‘While there’s always cause for concern, I think we can be confident that those of us who want change and peace and a united Ireland for that matter, peacefully and democratically, that we will prevail,’‘ Adams said.

Earlier this week, in a demonstration of solidarity, thousands of people attended silent rallies across the province to protest against the attacks.

On Thursday, the Irish prime minister Brian Cowen declared he was ‘heartened’ by the united response.

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tags: Northern Ireland