Night of clashes follows bombing in Northern Ireland town

BELFAST (Reuters) - Rioters hurled petrol bombs at police in the Northern Ireland town of Lurgan on Saturday night, close to the scene of an explosion that injured three children hours earlier, police said on Sunday.

The clashes, which lasted hours into the night, were the latest incident in a recent flare-up of violence believed to be instigated by dissident Republican armed groups opposed to Northern Ireland's peace process.

Northern Ireland was torn apart during three decades of violent "Troubles" between loyalists, mostly Protestants, who want it to remain part of the United Kingdom, and Republicans, mostly Catholics, who want it to form part of a united Ireland.

A 1998 peace agreement paved the way for a power-sharing government of loyalists and Republicans. Violence has subsided over the years, but there are still dissident armed groups.

Saturday was the last day of the Protestant marching season, a time of annual parades by Protestants which usually triggers violent protests by Catholics.

The Apprentice Boys, a Protestant organisation, paraded in the town of Londonderry without incident. But in Lurgan, a town with strong Republican sympathies some 50 miles away, the day was marked by several security alerts.

Police were initially called to deal with two suspicious devices, but those turned out to be hoaxes designed to lure officers into the area where a small bomb had been planted in a rubbish bin.

"This no-warning explosion was an obvious attempt to kill or injure police officers," said Chief Inspector Sam Cordiner.

No police were hurt when the bomb exploded, but two 12-year-olds and a two-year-old suffered minor cuts and shock when they were hit by flying debris.

"It is an absolute miracle that these children were not more seriously injured by this sickening attack on the most vulnerable members of our community," said Cordiner.

Police were working with community leaders in Lurgan to try to reduce tensions, he said.

Security chiefs and politicians in Northern Ireland have expressed concerns over the stepping up of a dissident Republican campaign to achieve a united Ireland by violence.

While the dissident groups are small, they have shown an ability to strike in a variety of locations.

In recent weeks, a car bomb exploded outside a police station in Londonderry and an army officer's car was booby-trapped in Bangor, on the other side of Northern Ireland.

A policewoman's car was also booby-trapped in Kilkeel but the bomb did not explode. A similar bomb did explode under another policeman's car but he was unhurt.

(Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Peter Graff)