by an IRA sniper in Ballymurphy, Belfast. 26 July 1972: A British soldier was shot dead in an IRA attack on a British foot-patrol in the Unity Flats, Belfast. 28 July 1972: An IRA volunteer was shot dead by a British sniper while sitting in a car outside the "Starry Plough Bar" in Belfast. 29 July 1972: The IRA opened fire on a British army observation post in the Derry's walls. 29 July 1972: A customs caravan and a car showroom were bombed in Derry. 31 July 1972: Three car bombs exploded in the Claudy bombings, killing nine people on Claudy High Street near Derry. The IRA have always denied involvement, but they are believed to have been responsible. In Operation Motorman, the biggest British military operation since the Suez crisis, the army used 12,000 soldiers supported by tanks and bulldozers to dismantle barricades and take IRA held "no go areas" in Belfast and Derry. August 3 August 1972: An IRA volunteer and a British soldier were killed in separate attacks in Belfast and Tyrone. 4 August 1972: A British soldier was killed by an IRA sniper while on foot-patrol in the Andersonstown area of Belfast. 7 August 1972: Four British soldiers were killed in three separate IRA attacks across Northern Ireland. 7 August 1972: The British army claimed that the IRA launched a rocket attack on La Salle school, in Andersontown, Belfast. The building had been converted to be used by the military. The IRA claimed instead that two 50 lb bombs were planted in the facilities. 9 August 1972: An IRA volunteer was killed when a bomb exploded accidentally in a garage in Newry. 11 August 1972: Two IRA volunteers died when the van bomb they were transporting exploded prematurely in the Lower Falls, Belfast. 14 August 1972: Two British soldiers were killed in an IRA booby-trap bomb attack at Casement Park British Army base in Belfast. A civilian was also killed in the crossfire between an IRA unit and a British patrol in the Ardoyne area of Belfast. 17 August 1972: A bomb planted by the IRA wrecked a crowded bar at Agnes Street, in Shankill Road. There were 55 injuries and damage to 35 surrounding residences. 17 August 1972: A British soldier was shot dead by the IRA in a sniper attack just off the Grosvenor Road in Belfast. 18 August 1972: Two British soldiers were