BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The Irish National Liberation Army, thought responsible for 120 Ulster slayings since the 1970s, says it has disposed of its weapons.
INLA spokesman Martin McMonagle made the announcement at a Monday press conference in Belfast, the BBC reported.
"We make no apology for our part in the conflict," McMonagle said. "We believe conditions have now changed in such a way that other options are open to revolutionaries to pursue and ultimately achieve our objectives."
The Republican militants made the move after meeting with a facilitation group that included Irish trade union leaders and an academic who had previously worked with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, the British broadcaster said.
"These events are further positive developments as we look to finally close the last chapter of the conflict and ensure a peaceful future for all the people of Northern Ireland," Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern said.
INLA was blamed for one of Northern Ireland's worst atrocities when 17 people died in a 1982 bomb attack on the Droppin' Well pub in Ballykelly, County Londonderry, the BBC said.
