British to withdraw 400 troops from North

The British army is due to pull out several hundred soldiers from Northern Ireland in the coming days, an army source has confirmed. This will be the first withdrawal of troops since the IRA ceasefire was called in July and is happening at a time when Sinn Fein is warning that a British "military agenda" is threatening the peace process.

A decision to withdraw about 400 soldiers from the Parachute Regiment will be announced by the weekend, according to a British army source. This will bring troop levels down to around 16,500.

The soldiers were moved from their base in north Belfast to the Maze prison as an interim measure earlier this month.

News of the imminent withdrawal came as Sinn Fein's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, was yesterday meeting the North's Security Minister, Mr Adam Ingram, to discuss security issues, and Tuesday's night violence in Lurgan and Armagh.

Mr McGuinness told Mr Ingram that nationalists in Lurgan, Armagh and Portadown were being subjected to regular harassment by the British army and RUC. The alleged intimidation of nationalists, in tandem with alleged harassment of a Lurgan republican, Mr Colin Duffy - which is viewed as the catalyst for Tuesday night's violence - was creating a "dangerous situation", said Mr McGuinness.

Mr Freddy Hall, the RUC assistant chief constable responsible for the north Armagh area, rejected Mr McGuinness's claims. The British army and RUC security presence matched the perceived security threat.

He condemned the violence in Lurgan and Armagh, which he said was orchestrated.