The Borucki Sangar post is being removed after 24 years

It was named after a soldier who was killed near to where it was erected in the market square.

Demolition work on the post is expected to take a week.

Social Democratic and Labour Party assembly member John Fee said it was a day the local community had been waiting for, for many years.

"I think it's probably the single biggest vote of confidence in the peace process by the British Government and I very much welcome the guts and the vision of the people who made this decision."

Sinn Fein assembly member Conor Murphy said it was a long overdue step, but added: "We sincerely hope it's the first step along the process of demilitarisation and we hope that's a very speedy process."

Army scale down

Commenting on the demolition, Sir Ronnie said the security forces remained fully alert to the threat from dissident republicans in the area.

He said there would be no let up in the continuing effort by security forces to thwart the intentions of terrorists.

He also said the recent seizures of weapons and explosives in Croatia showed the commitment and level of international co-operation to ensure they do not succeed.

In June, work began to dismantle two British Army observation posts in Belfast as part of a process of scaling down its presence in Northern Ireland.

Preliminary work to dismantle bases in Cookstown in County Tyrone and in Londonderry had also begun.

In May, Sir Ronnie said the scaling down of the army presence was as a result of a security assessment which indicated the threat of paramilitary violence had been reduced.

The government hopes to take "substantial measures" to normalise security arrangements by June 2001, the new deadline by which both London and Dublin aim to secure full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.