Loyalist groups say arms cache gone

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, June 19 (UPI) -- The three major loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have reportedly destroyed a large arms cache.

The Irish Times, citing "well-placed sources," said John de Chastelain, a retired Canadian Army general who heads the International Independent Commission on Decommissioning, witnessed the destruction.

The groups involved were the Ulster Defense Association, the Ulster Volunteer Force and the Red Hand Commando. They were Protestant organizations that wanted Northern Ireland to remain part of Britain.

Families of those killed by the loyalists told the Belfast Telegraph the decommissioning is too late.

"Paramilitaries don't realize that they're not only murdering one person, they're tearing a whole family apart," said Phyllis Brett, a Protestant whose teenage son, Gavin, was killed by the UDA. "They don't understand the mess they leave behind."

John Allen, whose son, also named John, was gunned down by the UVF in 2003, said he does not believe the paramilitaries have really given up on violence because "they are not true to their word."