SAS veteran Chris Ryan says NI must stop looking back

Chris Ryan, who served in both Northern Ireland and Iraq, is now a best-selling author

A former SAS soldier turned author has said there should not be an amnesty for Northern Ireland veterans but added people should "look forward" not back.

Chris Ryan, who served with the SAS in both Northern Ireland and Iraq, is now a best-selling military fiction author.

He is best known as the only member of an SAS unit to escape from a famously ill-fated mission during the Gulf War.

Three members of the eight-man unit died on the mission and four others were captured by Iraqi forces.

'Bravo Two Zero'

Ryan escaped on foot and crossed a desert alone to reach safety in Syria, setting a record for the "longest escape and evasion in the history of the SAS".

The SAS unit, code-named Bravo Two Zero, has been the subject of a film and several books, including a best-seller by the unit's commander who writes under the pseudonym Andy McNab.

Ryan, who also uses a pseudonym, joined the Special Air Service (SAS) in 1984 and spent 10 years in the elite regiment.

"There are preconceived ideas that the guys are just cold-hearted killers and usually they come in one form - probably about six foot six inches and built like a barn door - actually it couldn't be further from the truth," Ryan told the BBC's Sunday News programme.

"A lot of the SAS soldiers are quite clever, very good at adapting and changing and winning over the hearts and minds of the population of wherever or whichever theatre they're operating in."

Since leaving the SAS, Chris Ryan has appeared in a number of military-themed TV shows

During his career, Ryan carried out missions in Africa, the Middle East and the Far East.

He was also deployed to Northern Ireland during the Troubles, where he eventually met his wife and bought a house.

'Move forward'

During an interview to mark the release of his latest novel, the author was asked about current attempts to prosecute Northern Ireland veterans for Troubles-era killings.

"I've spoken to several of the guys who have actually been brought over to Northern Ireland to be re-interviewed," he said.

"If we keep looking back, we're never going to be able to look forward or move forward.

"If somebody has done something wrong then they will be prosecuted but as I said, it's this whole thing about trying to move forward."

In 2017, former soldiers marched in protest outside Buckingham Palace, calling for an end to Army prosecutions

Pressed on whether there should be an amnesty for elderly veterans, the former soldier disagreed and said he had faith in the original investigations.

"No, I don't think the military want an amnesty. The bottom line is, after every incident that involved the SAS, they were interviewed by the then RUC [Royal Ulster Constabulary].

"There was a post report and if there had been something done illegally, it would have been highlighted then."

However, many families whose loved ones were killed by soldiers in Northern Ireland have rejected RUC and Army accounts of the deaths.

They have campaigned for fresh inquests and investigations and several of the cases are currently before the courts.

Last year, a BBC investigation challenged claims by veterans' supporters that investigations into Troubles-era killings were unduly focused on those committed by the Army.

Despite his traumatic and well-documented experiences in Iraq, Ryan told the Sunday News that serving during the Troubles "wasn't the best time" in his life.

"Obviously it was not a good period for Northern Ireland," he said.

"We would come over, we were predominantly working in plain clothes... we weren't walking the streets and we would react to various situations."

Asked why it was such a difficult period for him, Ryan explained: "I think the Troubles were destroying a great part of the United Kingdom and it was a lot of innocent people who were being affected by a few people who couldn't sit round a table and talk."

His Troubles deployment made a lasting impression and had a significant impact on his personal life.

"We weren't restricted like the green [uniformed] Army... we could get out and whether we were doing orientation or we just wanted to go and see somewhere, we had free travel.

"We could go out and enjoy the restaurants and the bars."

Ryan eventually married a woman from Northern Ireland and they still own a house here.

"It wasn't the best time of my life [serving during the Troubles] but I actually love the country, I love being over there and walking and biking up and down the coastline."

The author added that he is still a regular visitor to Northern Ireland, where he "cherishes" the time he spends with many friends.

"I love the place I think it's one of the most friendly places in the UK."

Chris Ryan's interview will be broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster as part of The Sunday News at 13:00 BST on Sunday, 23 September 2018.