An independent review by a retired High Court judge into the circumstances surrounding the murders of two Irish peacekeeping troops in south Lebanon more than 37 years ago has identified failings and shortcomings in the Defence Forces operation at the time.
Private Hugh Doherty was shot dead at an observation post outside a village in South Lebanon, while his colleague Private Caomhan Seoighe was abducted and believed to have been murdered.
The men were on duty outside the village of Dyar Ntar on 27 April 1981 when their observation post came under attack.
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Private Doherty was shot three times and died at the scene. Private Seoighe’s body has never been found.
The two soldiers were alone in an unprotected post in an area, known to be used by members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation.
The report found numerous errors in the manner in which the two soldiers had been deployed at an isolated location.
These include:
- A persistent and inadequate assessment of risk,
- The absence of an NCO at the post,
- Inadequate manning,
- Failure to provide a landline and the absence of reports of incidents,
- A casual approach to the posting and supervision of the post,
- No system of checks or visits to the post by the platoon commander or others.
The Minister with Responsibility for Defence said the manner in which the soldiers were deployed should never have happened.
Paul Kehoe moved to assure the families and the public that steps have been taken to address the failings and prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
The review was carried out by retired judge Roderick Murphy.
