> But it's still not sufficient for an IRA-style campaign
Sure, you wouldn't be as successful as the IRA, but it would still be a damn sight easier than attacking planes. Consider the hotel attacks in India for an example of how poorly defended most locations are.
> the IRA never set out to murder non-uniformed, uninvolved civilians
They bombed shops and factories that they considered to be part of the 'artificial'' economy of the British rulers. Non-uniformed, uninvolved civilians tend to work in shops and factories, hence the huge number of civilian injuries and casualties.
More stats:
Deaths by status of victim[2]
Status No.
Civilian 1855
Members of security forces (and reserves) 1123
of whom:
British Army (excluding Northern Ireland regiments) 502
Royal Ulster Constabulary 301
Ulster Defence Regiment 196
Northern Ireland Prison Service 24
Garda Síochána 9
Royal Irish Regiment 7
Territorial Army 7
English police forces 6
Royal Air Force 4
Royal Navy 2
Irish Army 1
Members of Republican Paramilitary Groups 394
Members of loyalist Paramilitary Groups 151
> .... property target of a collaborator ...
Whilst the Troubles was nominally a political conflict the lines were drawn across ethnic/religious grounds. Being a Protestant was sufficient to draw fire from PIRA (similary Catholics were persecuted by the loyalists).
And all I'm trying to draw a line between, is the way the shops were the target for the IRA as opposed to the civilians, themselves.
It's a lot easier to talk someone into leaving a bomb next to a boiler than to pick up an assault rifle and fire indiscriminately into a crowd of civilians.
Sure, you wouldn't be as successful as the IRA, but it would still be a damn sight easier than attacking planes. Consider the hotel attacks in India for an example of how poorly defended most locations are.
> the IRA never set out to murder non-uniformed, uninvolved civilians
They bombed shops and factories that they considered to be part of the 'artificial'' economy of the British rulers. Non-uniformed, uninvolved civilians tend to work in shops and factories, hence the huge number of civilian injuries and casualties.
More stats:
Deaths by status of victim[2]
Status No.
Civilian 1855
Members of security forces (and reserves) 1123
of whom:
British Army (excluding Northern Ireland regiments) 502
Royal Ulster Constabulary 301
Ulster Defence Regiment 196
Northern Ireland Prison Service 24
Garda Síochána 9
Royal Irish Regiment 7
Territorial Army 7
English police forces 6
Royal Air Force 4
Royal Navy 2
Irish Army 1
Members of Republican Paramilitary Groups 394
Members of loyalist Paramilitary Groups 151
> .... property target of a collaborator ...
Whilst the Troubles was nominally a political conflict the lines were drawn across ethnic/religious grounds. Being a Protestant was sufficient to draw fire from PIRA (similary Catholics were persecuted by the loyalists).