Former SAS commander denies missions set out to kill IRA members

George Simm told the BBC there was a distinction between using lethal force during an operation and setting out with the intention of killing. “When you shoot you shoot to kill,” he said, but rejected the suggestion that soldiers went out “with the full intent to kill”.

Simm commanded an SAS unit that killed three IRA members in an ambush at Drumnakilly, near Omagh, in 1988. He told the BBC that the men had fired at him and denied that it was a “shoot-to-kill mission”.

The families of Gerard and Martin Harte and their brother-in-law Brian Mullan have argued that the men could have been arrested and that the operation was intended to kill them. Ignatius Harte, a brother of two of the men, previously told the BBC that the Army had prior knowledge that they were armed and could have arrested them.

The BBC said Simm had remained silent about his time in Northern Ireland for almost 50 years. He had, however, discussed the conflict with The Spectator in 2025 and given an account of Drumnakilly to The Independent in October 2026.

Simm also criticised the British government’s approach to dealing with the legacy of the Troubles, saying veterans had been abandoned. The government told the BBC its proposals included safeguards for veterans.

Andrée Murphy of the campaign group Relatives for Justice said the experiences of victims and survivors should be central to the process. She argued that there had often been opportunities to intervene before operations reached the point of gunfire.