IRISH SPECIAL FORCES soldiers have carried out an exercise in a shopping centre in Kildare. 

The troops, drawn from the Army Ranger Wing (ARW), or Irl SOF, were spotted testing their response to an incident inside a shopping mall in Newbridge.

The White Water Shopping Centre was the scene of the exercise.  

Sources said that it was a “routine response exercise” which piggy backed on an annual fire drill test at the centre. 

The Rangers are based in the Curragh Camp and they are a short distance from the centre.

Security sources said that the exercise was to rehearse their response to a major incident on the island of Ireland. It is a rare daytime and public display by the unit which is hugely protective of its secret status. 

Video circulating online shows soldiers, dressed in the distinctive dress of the ARW, conducting a so-called extraction of a detained man who was cuffed and had a bag over his head. 

One of the key tasks for the ARW, and the reason they were formed in the late 1970s, is around responding to marauding terror incidents and hostage rescue. Due to the secrecy of the unit we have not, as yet, been able to confirm the exact scenario was for this exercise. 

Soldiers were spotted exiting an area in the centre with two soldiers coming first, moving fast on their feet, with Heckler and Koch 416 assault rifles drawn. The soldiers were also wearing night vision goggles on their helmets and they had their distinctive battle dress. 

The Ranger Wing routinely trains in Ireland and abroad to test how they would respond to specific incidents. The Journal has accompanied them on a number of occasions to watch the events.

These have included a maritime incident similar to the MV Matthew drugs seizure mission, bomb disposal scenario and a night time hostage rescue of a downed pilot to simulate scenarios that they may face on foreign and domestic deployments. 

We have also observed their selection course known as SOF-Q which last nine months. The members of the unit are drawn from the Navy, Army and Air Corps. 

It is understood that the primary unit to deal with such incidents would be the Garda Emergency Response Unit (ERU) but the ARW would also go to the scene to be available to offer their assistance. 

They have advanced skills in raiding buildings and other specialist equipment that no other unit in Ireland possesses.

A spokesman for the Irish Defence Forces said: “The Defence Forces Army Ranger Wing conducted a routine readiness exercise yesterday in the White Water shopping centre.”

Earlier this week it was confirmed that the way had been cleared for a new €45 million state-of-the-art headquarters for the Army Ranger Wing (ARW).