Former SAS soldier and best-selling author Chris Ryan has said Northern Ireland should focus on the future rather than dwelling on past conflicts. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday News programme, Ryan, who served in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, expressed his views on the current attempts to prosecute veterans for Troubles-era killings.
Ryan, best known for his escape from a failed SAS mission during the Gulf War, argued against an amnesty for veterans but emphasised the need to move forward. 'If we keep looking back, we're never going to be able to look forward or move forward,' he said. He added that if someone has done something wrong, they should be prosecuted, but he has faith in the original investigations conducted by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) after each incident.
However, many families of those killed by soldiers have disputed RUC and Army accounts, calling for fresh inquests. Ryan acknowledged the Troubles were a difficult period, describing it as 'not a good period for Northern Ireland' and noting that 'a lot of innocent people were being affected by a few people who couldn't sit round a table and talk.'
Despite the challenges, Ryan, who married a woman from Northern Ireland and still owns a house there, said he loves the country and visits regularly. He described SAS soldiers as 'quite clever, very good at adapting and changing and winning over the hearts and minds' of the local population, countering stereotypes of them as 'cold-hearted killers.'
