Bringing the SAS into a country where history of the Troubles goes back to the 1920s has since been considered a mistake. In 1968, the civil rights disturbances in Belfast resulted in a highly volatile state with emotions running high. In April 1969 the Belfast government, alarmed by the situation being fuelled by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) asked Westminster to provide military aid. SAS in Northern Ireland In August of that year, British troops were sent to the province and were welcomed by the Catholic population of Ulster. However, the troops misused their position by raiding several Catholic areas and using unnecessary force to disperse crowds, actions which made them extremely unpopular and which culminated in the shooting of thirteen Catholic civilians on 'Bloody Sunday'. On a political front the Protestant Loyalists were the undoubted majority and the Catholic Nationalists, who wanted British rule to end, the minority. However, the Loyalists realised that if the British left Northern Ireland they would find themselves in the minority in a country that would become overwhelmingly Catholic. As with all the religious arguments, both sides believed passionately in their cause and were quite willing to use violence to gain victory. In support, paramilitary organisations on both sides have gradually developed. The Republican's cause was supported by the IRA and the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), while the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), the Ulster Defense Association (UDA) and the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF) supported the Loyalist cause. The Province's security forces were represented by the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the Ulster Defense Regiment (UDR), although both contained an overwhelming majority of Protestant members and have, historically, collaborated with Loyalist paramilitaries, causing an enormous amount of distrust and dislike in the Catholic communities. Despite this extremely fragile environment, the British Army and intelligence services attempt to assist the security services in the Province to keep order to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, rivalry between the different services has often occurred and it has not been possible for them to work together effectively and consistently in a way that would be beneficial for all. When they were fist sent to Northern Ireland in 1969, the SAS were able to operate more overtly than they do now. But it is not until after the Oman War in 1976 that the British Government announced that the SAS would have a permanent place in Ulster. Initially this move appeared to have the desired effect, as shown by the decrease in the number of terrorist incidents, but this success was short lived. In the early days a great deal of the Regiment's work was simply to patrol the fields of South Armagh, but as the Troubles continued their role became more defined. In the 1970s a substantial number of successes were achieved by the Regiment as a result of intense surveillance work. Following the numerous ambushes, many IRA and INLA terrorists were either killed or captured. The SAS also undertook cross-border raids to arrest suspects. They continued to attract further adverse publicity with the accidental shootings of innocent civilians, even though engaging in undercover battles against such merciless and violent terrorists always carries the risk of error. Despite all the criticisms, the SAS have also achieved outstanding successes in Northern Ireland by helping to install a sense of order to the country.