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The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) is an Ulster loyalist paramilitary group in Northern Ireland. It emerged in 1966 and is named after the original UVF of the early 20th century. Its first leader was Gusty Spence, a former British soldier. The group undertook an armed campaign of almost thirty years during the Troubles. It declared a ceasefire in 1994 and officially ended its campaign in 2007, although some of its members have continued to engage in violence. The group is classified as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom,〔(List of Proscribed organisations ), UK Home Office〕 Republic of Ireland and United States.〔(Terrorist Exclusion List ), US State Department〕 The UVF's declared goals were to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Irish Republican Army (IRA) – and to maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom. It was responsible for at least 500 deaths. The vast majority (more than two-thirds)〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sutton Index of Deaths: Organisation responsible for the death )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Sutton Index of Deaths: Crosstabulations ) (choose "religion summary" + "status" + "organisation")〕 of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often targeted at random. During the conflict, its deadliest attack in Northern Ireland was the 1971 McGurk's Bar bombing, which killed fifteen civilians. The group also carried out attacks in the Republic of Ireland from 1969 onward. The biggest of these was the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings, which killed 34 civilians, making it the deadliest terrorist attack of the conflict. The no-warning car bombings had been carried out by units from the Belfast and Mid-Ulster brigades. The Mid-Ulster Brigade was also responsible for the 1975 Miami Showband killings, in which three members of the popular Irish cabaret band were shot dead at a bogus military checkpoint by gunmen in British Army uniforms. Two UVF men were accidentally blown up in this attack. The UVF's last major attack was the 1994 Loughinisland massacre, in which its members shot dead six Catholic civilians in a rural pub. Until recent years,〔("Inside the UVF: Money, murders and mayhem - the loyalist gang's secrets unveiled" ). ''Belfast Telegraph''. 13 October 2014.〕 it was noted for secrecy and a policy of limited, selective membership.〔Taylor, Peter (1999). ''Loyalists''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. p.34 ISBN 0-7475-4519-7〕〔Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, ''UVF'', Poolbeg, 1997, p. 107〕〔Wood, Ian S., ''Crimes of Loyalty'', Edinburgh University Press, 2006, p.6 & p.191 ISBN 978-0748624270〕〔Bruce, Steve. ''The Edge of the Union: The Ulster Loyalist Political Vision'', Oxford University Press, 1994, p.4, ISBN 978-0198279761〕〔Boulton, David, ''U.V.F. 1966–73: An Anatomy of Loyalist Rebellion'', Gill & MacMillan, 1973, p.3 ISBN 978-0717106660〕 The other main loyalist paramilitary group during the conflict was the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), which had a much larger membership. Since the ceasefire, the UVF has been involved in rioting, organized crime, vigilantism and feuds with other loyalist groups. Some members have also been orchestrating a series of racist attacks.〔("UVF 'behind racist attacks in south and east Belfast'" ). ''Belfast Telegraph''. 3 April 2014.〕 ==Aim and strategy== The UVF's stated goal was to combat Irish republicanism – particularly the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) – and maintain Northern Ireland's status as part of the United Kingdom.〔''Country Reports on Terrorism: 2004''. State Department, Office of the Coordinator for Conterterrorism. p.128〕 The vast majority of its victims were Irish Catholic civilians, who were often killed at random. Whenever it claimed responsibility for its attacks, the UVF usually claimed that those targeted were IRA members or were giving help to the IRA.〔Kentucky New Era, 14 April 1992〕 Other times, attacks on Catholic civilians were claimed as "retaliation" for IRA actions, since the IRA drew most of its support from the Catholic community. Such retaliation was seen as both collective punishment and an attempt to weaken the IRA's support; it was thought that terrorizing the Catholic community and inflicting such a death toll on it would force the IRA to end its campaign. Many retaliatory attacks on Catholics were claimed using the covername "Protestant Action Force" (PAF), which first appeared in Autumn 1974.〔Steve Bruce, ''The Red Hand'', Oxford University Press, 1992, p.119〕 They always signed their statements with the fictitious name "Captain William Johnston".〔Taylor, Peter (1999). ''Loyalists''. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. pp.40–41〕 Like the Ulster Defence Association (UDA), the UVF's ''modus operandi'' involved assassinations, mass shootings, bombings and kidnappings. It used sub machine-guns, assault rifles, pistols, grenades (including homemade grenades), incendiary bombs, booby trap bombs and car bombs. Referring to its activity in the early and mid-1970s, journalist Ed Moloney described no-warning pub bombings as the UVF's "forte".〔Moloney, Ed (2010). ''Voices From the Grave: Two Men's War in Ireland''. Faber & Faber. p.350〕 Members were trained in bomb-making and it developed home-made explosives.〔Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, ''UVF'', Poolbeg, 1997, p. 105〕 In the late summer and autumn of 1973 the UVF detonated more bombs than the UDA and IRA combined,〔Steve Bruce, ''The Red Hand'', Oxford University Press, 1992, p.115〕 and by the time of the group's temporary ceasefire in late November it had been responsible for over 200 explosions that year.〔Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, ''UVF'', Poolbeg, 1997, p. 129〕 However, from 1977 bombs largely disappeared from the UVF's arsenal owing to a lack of explosives and bomb-makers, plus a conscious decision to abandon their use in favour of more contained methods.〔Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, ''UVF'', Poolbeg, 1997, p. 194〕〔Steve Bruce, ''The Red Hand'', Oxford University Press, 1992, p.144-145〕 The UVF did not return to regular bombings until the early 1990s when it obtained a quantity of the mining explosive Powergel.〔Jim Cusack & Henry McDonald, ''UVF'', Poolbeg, 1997, p. 311-312, 313, 316, 317〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ulster Volunteer Force」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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