Dublin: The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), an IRA splinter group responsible for some of Northern Ireland's most notorious killings, said it has surrendered its weapons just days before an Anglo-Irish disarmament deadline is due to expire.
Two representatives of the outlawed organisation told AP on Saturday that the INLA handed over weapons stockpiles to Northern Ireland's disarmament commission at secret meetings in November and January. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they could face arrest if identified.
The INLA weapons surrender is expected to be confirmed Monday by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, an expert panel that Britain and Ireland formed in 1997 to oversee the disarmament of several illegal groups based in the British territory of Northern Ireland.
The pace of paramilitary disarmament has picked up over the past year after Britain and Ireland announced their intention to shut down the commission this month.
A law permitting paramilitary figures to hand over weapons without risk of prosecution is scheduled to expire tomorrow.
Disarmament commission spokesman Aaro Suonio said he could not confirm or deny whether the INLA had surrendered weapons recently.
From 2001 to 2005, the commission oversaw the gradual disarmament of the Irish Republican Army.
