By Paul Berry THE peace process in Northern Ireland is on a knife-edge, with terrorists refusing to give up their weapons and the decision to create a political assembly postponed.

The terrorist threat in much of the province has subsided, allowing the police to go about their everyday business without military back-up. But not all the terrorists have signed up to the current ceasefire as this week's bomb outrage graphically illustrated, and hardline paramilitaries have formed breakaway groups which could yet upset the peace talks.

In one tough area of the province, close to the Irish border, brave Lancashire soldiers are battling to contain terrorists constantly looking for a chance to strike. RIDING through pretty countryside in the back of an ordinary family hatchback, I looked at the two twentysomething lads in the front seats.

Wearing sportswear and jeans, they looked like any young men you might see on the streets of Bolton.

The passenger, gently puffing on a cigarette, told me about his impending divorce while the lad in the driver's seat quietly sped along the road in the spring sunshine.

I wasn't so relaxed. The driver had a pistol and ammunition within easy reach while the passenger clutched his walkie-talkie and fingered an automatic rifle by his side.

The area we were driving through, south east Fermanagh, is a hot-bed for a terrorist group who have refused to sign the current Northern Ireland ceasefire.

Driving from one high-security police and military base to another, I couldn't stop thinking about the slide show and briefing I had just been given, demonstrating the ferocity and power of terrorist weapons.

Soldiers from Lancashire have seen at first hand the utter devastation caused by a terrorist attack.

Carnage

They were among the first to witness the human carnage caused by the 200lb car bomb which tore through the sleepy market town of Omagh last August.

Troops from the 1st Battalion, the Queens Lancashire Regiment, based at the town's Lisanelly Barracks, had the gruesome task of helping clear the scene where 29 people lay dead and 220 people were injured.

Seven months after the blast, Omagh is rebuilding its community spirit, while the lads from Lancashire are concentrating their efforts on hard-line terrorist strongholds near the border.

The Queens Lancashire Regiment spend five weeks patrolling the area of south east Fermanagh as part of their cycle of duties.

While their other duties see them guarding the Omagh barracks, training, and providing back-up for forces in the rest of the province, it is the tough border area patrols when the lads feel they are finally putting their skills to good use.

Although most of the province's terrorist groups have signed a ceasefire, the terrorist threat is high.

The soldiers go out on patrol to provide back-up for Royal Ulster Constabulary officers in areas where police work is considered unsafe.

These patrols, once the norm throughout the province, now only take place in border areas.

The soldiers, dressed in body armour and carrying heavy kit, are flown out from their tiny high-security rural bases by helicopter. As well as backing up the RUC, the troops carry out rural patrols to look for terrorist activity.

The tough terrain means the soldiers are likely to climb up to 30 fences every mile, and at times they must wade through rivers with full kit and weaponry.

Lieutenant Colonel David James, from Clitheroe, is commanding officer of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment.

He said: "The threat remains high at the moment in areas where dissident republican groups are operating. We are talking about groups like the Real IRA, who planted the Omagh bomb and the Continuity IRA, who have not signed the ceasefire.

"The Continuity IRA are strong in south east Fermanagh area where we patrol. They have mortar bombs, car bombs and weapons including guns.

Concern

"Since the ceasefire was announced in July 1997, we have been operating at a very high tempo because of the police's concern over these groups.

"The terrorist threat has been pushed down to the border regions, which is why where we patrol is such a crucial area.

"The bomb which ripped through the heart of Omagh has changed the relationship between troops and the townspeople.

"Things are beginning to get back to normal, but you would not be able to go shopping in town without seeing somebody who was blinded or lost a limb in the bomb.

"After the bomb, people were coming up to the lads in the cordon and shaking their hands. People who would not normally be seen dead talking to a soldier were saying how genuinely grateful they were for the things the RUC and the Army did.

"We collected £10,000 for the Omagh appeal fund through charitable functions organised here in camp.

"It would be foolhardy to suggest that something like the Omagh bomb will not happen again. Nothing except our vigilance is stopping us from being attacked."

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