Mortar attack on Northern Ireland security force base

A suspected mortar attack was launched on a Northern Ireland security force base yesterday, although there were no casualties.

An explosive device appeared to have been fired from an abandoned van in the town of Bessbrook in the south of the British province, witnesses said.

The Real IRA, which opposes the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement for the province, has been blamed for a number of attacks on the British mainland and in Northern Ireland over the past year.

The IRA and other mainstream guerrilla groups are observing ceasefires while politicians try to seal a lasting peace under the accord.