9 IRA Prisoners to Be Released

The Irish government said it will free nine Irish Republican Army prisoners, including a man named at his trial more than 20 years ago as the IRA’s main organizer in Britain. The release, set for today at a jail near Dublin, was apparently meant to boost peace talks seeking an end to years of strife in Northern Ireland. The political arm of the IRA, Sinn Fein, which wants an end to British rule of the province, called the decision “a positive step,” Irish broadcaster RTE said. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has said that any peace settlement must include the release of IRA guerrillas. The Dublin Justice Department said the men were being freed on condition they keep the peace.