Republican sources in the south Armagh-north Louth area believe the Provisional IRA might have destroyed a ton of explosives as part of a voluntary decommissioning gesture. A huge explosion heard in the area on Thursday had puzzled the security forces.
A 6 ft crater was discovered in the ground near a farmhouse between Clontygora and Cornamucklagh in south Armagh, a few hundred yards from the Co Louth border. Initially it was believed the explosion was carried out by dissidents testing a new mixture of home-made explosives.
But media reports later quoted Provisional IRA sources as saying that one of its units in south Armagh had destroyed nearly a ton of explosives to stop it falling into the hands of the "Real IRA", which has a strong presence in the area.
However, other republican sources along the Border last night said they believed the destruction of the explosives was part of a voluntary decommissioning gesture. One source said the Provisional IRA had moved its dumps after members of the first battalion of the South Armagh brigade resigned in protest at the peace process late last year.
He said: "They feared those boys would take gear with them so locations were changed. I think the destruction of explosives has more to do with decommissioning than it has with any real fear of dissidents getting their hands on it."
Another source said: "If it was simply a matter of ensuring dissidents couldn't get the explosives, all that would have to be done is move the explosives to a safer area. The fact that didn't happen means something else is going on."
An RUC spokesman said police believed it was possible the operation was carried out to destroy stockpiled explosives.