A terminally-ill man must serve at least 25 years in jail for his part in the murder of two British soldiers in Northern Ireland as they collected a delivery of pizzas, a judge ruled Friday.

Brian Shivers, 46, is suffering from cystic fibrosis and has an estimated four to five years to live.

Shivers was part of a Real Irish Republican Army paramilitary gang that shot dead sappers Mark Quinsey, 23, and Cengiz "Patrick" Azimkar, 21, outside the Massereene barracks in Antrim, northwest of Belfast, in March 2009.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment last month and at Belfast Crown Court on Friday, judge Anthony Hart told him he would have to serve a minimum of 25 years in prison before he could be considered for release.

Shivers was found guilty of six counts of attempted murder and one of possession of two firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He denied the charges.

Azimkar and Quinsey were the first British soldiers to be murdered in Northern Ireland since 1997, and their deaths briefly sparked fears of a resumption of sectarian violence.

The trial was shown security camera footage showing five soldiers walking out of the barracks to collect a pizza delivery. Two masked men then appeared and opened fire.

Two pizza delivery drivers were among four other people injured in the attack.

The attack was claimed by the Real IRA, a dissident paramilitary group opposed to the Northern Ireland peace process.

Northern Ireland endured three decades of sectarian bombings and shootings pitting Catholics who wanted the province to join with the Republic of Ireland against Protestants who wanted to remain part of the United Kingdom.

The violence largely ended with 1998 peace accords, which paved the way for a power-sharing administration in Belfast, although sporadic attacks continue.