The Ulster Defence Association is the largest loyalist paramilitary organization in Northern Ireland, boasting a membership of 40,000 during its peak. As a loyalist organization, the UDA is opposed to the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and desires that the six counties of Northern Ireland remain part of the United Kingdom. <p><br /> The UDA was formed in the early 1970s in response to the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) violent resurgence in Northern Ireland.  Small, neighborhood-based local groups, with the express intent of protecting Protestants from republican attacks, began to form. In 1971, the UDA was established as an umbrella organization for many of these local groups. The group is closely connected to the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), utilizing the UFF as a covert terrorist organization from the 1970s until the early 1990s. Through this deception, the UDA was able to maintain a legal status in Northern Ireland until 1991.  However, the two groups have effectively merged into one organization. The UDA's retention of its status as a legal organization lead many republicans to cite it as an example of the collusion between loyalist organizations and British security forces and Northern Ireland police forces. <p><br />Although formed to protect Protestants from Republican terrorist attacks, the vast majority of attacks conducted by the UDA have been retaliatory killings targeting Catholic civilians or rival loyalists. The majority of the attacks committed by the UDA have been small-scale, individual murders as opposed to bombings or other large-scale tactics preferred by other terrorist groups in Northern Ireland. Operations are conducted by one of the organization's six largely independent brigades. <p><br />Due in part to its cooperation with the Loyalist Volunteer Force (LVF), the UDA became embroiled in a feud with the LVF's founding group, the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), beginning in 2000. In addition, the UDA has been weakened by violent internal feuding, leading to reports of brigades breaking away from the organization. However, the North Belfast brigade declared in August 2006 that it has since reunited with the UDA.  <br />