| MADDOGADAIR | Nickname of Ulster loyalist, target of the IRA's Shankhill Road bombing in 1993 |
| GERRY | Leader of the IRA's political wing, ... Adams |
| UNIONLIST | Ulster loyalist maintains Latin library catalogue (5,4) |
| COVENTRY | City in the West Midlands devastated by bombing in the Second World War (8) |
| DENMARK | Anne of ____ , wife of James I of England and one of the targets of the Gunpowder Plot (7) |
| ABS | Target of the puzzle's title, and part of each of the long entries |
| MAP | An outdated one caused the Chinese Embassy bombing in Belgrade, allegedly |
| DRESDEN | Industrial city in SE Germany almost destroyed by Allied bombing in 1945 (7) |
| CASSINO | Monte --, hill between Naples and Rome, scene of Allied bombing in 1944 (7) |
| GUILDFORD | Surrey town which was the location of IRA pub bombings in 1974 (9) |
| INDIA | This British-ruled country was the target of the Japanese campaign from Burma in 1942 |
| SPENCE | Basil, Scottish architect who designed Coventry Cathedral after its bombing in World War II (6) |
| JEANSEBERG | Star of Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, a target of the FBI's Cointelpro project |
| NICHOLASI | Russian emperor who was the target of the Decembrist Revolt |
| NEARING | Getting closer to bombing in range (7) |
| GENEVA | Avenge bombing in Swiss location |
| RABID | Mad keen to start bombing in attack (5) |
| LUTHER | Target of the Edict of Worms, 1521 |
| RUHR | German river valley that was the target of the Dambusters Raid (16-17 May 1943) during World War II (4) |
| MEASLES | One of the targets of the MMR vaccine |
