The Proxy Bomb (also known as a human bomb) was a tactic used by the Provisional IRA for a short time in 1990's, whereby people were forced to drive car bombs into military targets. The tactic has been compared to a suicide bomb, although the bomber in these cases was coerced rather than being a volunteer. The Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) is a paramilitary group which aimed, through the use of violence, to achieve three goals: (i) British withdrawal from Ireland, (ii) the political unification of Ireland through the merger of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland , and (iii) the creation of an all... A car bomb is a bomb that is placed in a car or truck and is intended to be exploded while there. ... A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death (see suicide, suicide weapons). ...

In the Autumn of 1990 the IRA Army Council gave approval for what was to be the first of a series of Proxy Bomb attacks. The plan was to kidnapp a civilian, hold his or her family hostage and force the kidnapped person to bring explosives to a target.In the early hours of October 24 1990 armed and masked IRA volunteers took the family of Patrick Gillespie (known as Patsy), a Catholic who worked as a cook for the British Army, hostage and forced Patsy to drive a car loaded with 1,000 pounds of explosives to the British Army checkpoint at Coshquin on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. He was chosen as his work in the canteen of a local army barracks made him, in PIRA eyes, a "collaborator" and "legitimate target". As soon as he arrived at the checkpoint the bomb was detonated by remote control killing Gillespie and five soldiers. Fall redirects here. ... This article is about the year. ... The IRA Army Council is the decision-making body of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, more commonly known as the IRA, a paramilitary group dedicated to the removal of the British presence in Ireland. ... October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Languages English (De facto) 3, Irish, Ulster Scots 4 Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th...

On the same day, there were two other proxy bomb attacks in Northern Ireland. In one, a 65 year old man was forced to drive a bomb into a British Army checkpoint outside Newry. He managed to jump clear at the last moment, suffering a broken leg, but 1 British soldier was killed and 13 were injured. In another attack on Lisanelly Army base in Omagh, the "proxy bomber" was strapped into the car to keep him from escaping, while his wife and children were held hostage. However, the bomb failed to explode. WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 54. ...

There were a few more attacks like these in the next month the last one being a failed attempt to destroy the checkpoint at Roslea,County Fermanagh. Predictably the human bomb tactic caused outrage in both the Unionist and Nationalist community and caused a temporary drop in support for Sinn Fein damaging their electoral efforts in both Northern Ireland and the Republic. In spite of this, there were a few more attacks before the tactic was stopped. The final IRA use of proxy bombs came on April 24, 1993, when they forced two London taxi drivers to drive bombs towards Downing Street and New Scotland Yard. there were no casualties however,as the drivers managed to shout warnings and to abandon their cars in time. A conventionally delivered bomb was detonated by the IRA on the same day in the financial centre of Bishopsgate in central London. Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Enniskillen Area: 1,691 km² Population (est. ... In the Irish context, Unionists form a group of largely (though not exclusively) Protestant people in Ireland, of all social classes, who wish to see the continuation of the Act of Union, as amended by the Government of Ireland Act 1920, under which the Northern Ireland provincial state created in... An Irish nationalist is generally one who seeks (greater) independence of Ireland from Great Britain, including since 1921 the goal of a United Ireland. ... Sinn Féin (in the Irish language ourselves or we ourselves; not as sometimes incorrectly translated, ourselves alone) is an Irish political party. ... Dieu et mon droit (motto) (French for God and my right)2 Northern Irelands location within the UK Languages English (De facto) 3, Irish, Ulster Scots 4 Capital and largest city Belfast First Minister Office suspended Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain MP Area  - Total Ranked 4th... Motto: none Anthem: Amhrán na bhFiann (The Soldiers Song) Capital Dublin Largest city Dublin Official language(s) Irish, English Government Parliamentary democracy  - President Mary McAleese  - Taoiseach Bertie Ahern Independence From UK by treaty   - Declared 21 January 1919   - Recognised 6 December 1922  Accession to EU January 1, 1973 Area... London is the capital city of England and of the United Kingdom, and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Downing Street For a wider coverage of London, visit the London Portal. ... Alternative meanings: Scotland Yard (band), Scotland Yard board game New Scotland Yard, London New Scotland Yard, often referred to as simply Scotland Yard or The Yard, is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for policing Greater London (although not the City of London itself). ... Looking north from a pedestrian bridge across Bishopsgate Bishopsgate, in the heart of Londons financial district. ...

Overall the proxy bomb tactic helped to discredit the "armed struggle" in the eyes of Republicans and their supporters. For this reason, Irish journalist Ed Moloney suggests that it may have been a deliberate tactic launched by those within the Provisional IRA who wanted peace such as Gerry Adams and weakened the position of those who wanted to wage armed struggle to the exclusion of electoral politics From 1969 until 1997, the Provisional Irish Republican Armyconducted an armed campaign in Northern Ireland aimed at overthrowing British rule there and creating a united Ireland. ... Gerry Adams Gerry Adams MP, MLA, (Irish: Gearóid Mac Ádhaimh; born 6 October 1948) is an Irish Republican politician and abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for West Belfast. ...

Sources

• Ed Moloney, A Secret History of the IRA
• Brendan O'Brien, The Long War, the IRA and Sinn Fein