15:52 16Oct2002 RTRS-Bloody Sunday soldiers "wanted some kills"
By Pete Harrison
LONDON, Oct 16 (Reuters) - A British ex-paratrooper told an official inquiry on Wednesday that his platoon "wanted some kills" when they confronted unarmed rioters on Northern Ireland's "Bloody Sunday", during which 14 were shot dead.
The inquiry, which has been running since 1998, is seeking to determine how British troops killed the 14 at a march in the Northern Irish city of Londonderry, helping trigger 30 years of sectarian violence in the British province.
The paratrooper, a former radio operator identified only as Soldier 027, was the first to appear at hearings which have been moved to London because British troops said they feared for their lives if they testified in Northern Ireland.
He described fellow soldiers involved in "shocking and unspeakable incidents."
He saw another soldier "pushing his way between two other soldiers who were firing so that he could commence firing himself. He indicated to me that he thought what was happening was great," he added. "He was exuberant."
Soldier 027, who testified from behind a screen, is seen as a key witness because he contradicts the British army's official version of events, which is that the soldiers of the First Parachute Regiment only fired when fired at themselves.
He stood by an earlier statement that a lieutenant, referred to as 119, had briefed them on the night before Bloody Sunday, saying: "Let's teach these buggers a lesson -- we want some kills tomorrow."
Bloody Sunday -- January 30, 1972 -- was one of the grimmest milestones in the Northern Ireland conflict between majority Protestants committed to links with Britain and minority Roman Catholics in favour of Irish unity.
It set the stage for three decades of conflict which claimed more than 3,600 lives until a peace deal was signed in 1998 and ushered in a power-sharing local government.
NO THREAT
The inquiry, chaired by British judge Lord Saville, opened 26 years after the original probe in 1972 exonerated the paratroopers who opened fire on the protesters. But Soldier 027 said that at no time did he identify a threat within the mob.
"I was as keen to find a target as anyone, but I just could not identify a target that appeared to justify engaging," he said. "I did not see anyone with a weapon or see or hear an explosive device.
"I have a clear memory of consciously thinking 'What are they firing at?' and feeling some inadequacy."
Soldier 027 described a culture of violence among the paratroopers and said bravado rather than self-defence had fuelled their actions on Bloody Sunday
"I had the distinct impression that this was a case of some soldiers realising this was an opportunity to fire their weapon and they didn't want to miss the chance," he said, adding that much of the firing was precipitated by two soldiers, Lance Corporal F and Soldier G.
"When the shooting started, the crowd at first appeared to be mesmerised," Soldier 027 went on. "Suddenly there was a lot of confusion, wailing and commotion. I saw people crouching and immobile, others crawling.
"I have always been satisfied in my own mind that Lance Corporal F and Soldier G probably shot eight or 10 people that day."
The costs of the inquiry have soared and could top 20 million pounds ($30 million) by the time Saville issues his final report in 2004. The tribunal has already heard 582 witnesses.
((Pete Harrison, London newsroom +44 207 542 5706,
I just wanted pple outside to know that it is falling apart here and I am scared............................Im sorry .................
................I was like 'oh thats nice! 
