Free report
Shooters: Britain's Military Reaction Force
The Military Reaction Force (MRF) was a covert British military unit deployed on the streets of Belfast in 1971 by the counterinsurgency expert General Sir Frank Kitson, then the Brigadier in charge of 39 Airportable Brigade. It left behind a trail of dead civilians and agents.
This report, the first of a two-part series, examines the MRF's shooters and publishes new evidence from the archives.
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Coming next: Freds
Part two tells the stories of the MRF's "Freds", paramilitaries turned into double agents, and publishes information the British state tried to bury. Subscribers will hear first when it's released.
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Paper Trail is a small Belfast charity that searches the archives for victims and survivors of the conflict. Reports like this one are free because supporters fund the research.