The Derry Provisionals had little contact with the IRA elsewhere . They had few weapons ( about twenty ) which they used mainly for sniping . At the same time , they launched their bombing campaign in Derry . Unlike in Belfast , they were careful to avoid killing or injuring innocent people . Eamonn McCann wrote that " the Derry Provos , under Martin McGuinness , had managed to bomb the city centre until it looked as if it had been hit from the air without causing any civilian casualties . "