US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
March 24, 2009 (KHARTOUM) — The Sudanese government today acknowledged news reports that US air force conducted airstrikes against arm smugglers last January killing scores of people.
The Egyptian Al-Shurooq newspaper reported this week that US planes destroyed a convoy heading towards the borders carrying arms believed to be on its way to Gaza strip.
The report said that the convoy consisted of 17 trucks carrying 39 passengers that were all destroyed in the operation. None of the people on board the trucks survived the attack.
The Sudanese state minister for highways Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem told reporters at a press conference in the Eastern city of Kassala near Eritrea that a “major power bombed small trucks carrying arms burring all of them”.
“It killed Sudanese, Eritreans and Ethiopians [passengers] and injured others” Saleem said.
The attack is believed to have occurred in a desert area in Northwest of Port Sudan city, near the Mount Al-Sha’anoon.
The newspaper quoted an unidentified Egyptian official as saying that the planes that carried out the attack were based out of many regional countries, suggesting that it is likely to be Djibouti.
The official said that the airstrike caused an “embarrassment” to Khartoum which viewed it as a “violation to its sovereignty” and discussed the matter with Cairo in an effort to gather more information to formulate a response.
Al-Shurooq also said that Sudanese authorities conducted “a full blown dossier” on the attack containing images, forensics and remains of weapons and satellite phones.
The rockets fired by US gunships left 18-hole diameters ranging between 160 and 430 meters, the newspaper reported.
Israeli officials in the past have said that arms are funneled into Sudan and then to Sinai, where they pass through the tunnels into Gaza.
The US signed an agreement with Israel last January that calls for an international effort to stem the flow of weaponry and explosives to complement those of Egypt.
American and Israeli diplomats said at the time the agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of US and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels.
(ST)
Gatjang
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
The sleeping government did not even know what happened in their country 2 moons ago. Now they are looking for more evidences to respond, well, it is too late. If they can detect smuggler, then they should know where Bashir is sleeping.
Bashir must go and hide in the remote village and someone else need to lead this country.
Lual Garang De Lual
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
Dear Mr. president Field marshal Omaaaaar Hassan Al Bashire.
Could you explain in realities the deadly strike which happened between Kassala and Port Sudan without the notice of your government. We the Sudanese don’t want to be fool by mad people. See Mr. president the way the American bombed you in 1999 and now it has repeated itself, while you are making empty retoric about ICC in Khartoum and Darfur. You are failing this country Mr. president back to the dark days of looting and smuggling of our resources.
Could you be able as a leader in this country explain to your citizens what had happened if it is not because your government has fallen ill of the ICC arrest warrant fever.
We all fear that this country will be a victim of your own making conspiracy as the world will take Sudan hostage because of your stand in favouring of impunity and non-accountability.
Wow, Mr. President because you feel intimidation is the only solution hence those who intimidate other will also be intimidated. There is no sense of panicking because you decided to sent weapons to Gaza so that the impunity happenning in Sudan could be extended to Israeli civillians which will not happen under their watchful eyes.
Koja Rubi
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
Sudanese government officials including Bashir do speak louder than their strengths. They think they have enough to prove to the world that Sudan is powerful basing on the fact that they stole most of the oil money and are keeping the money in foreign Arab banks.
Well done the mighty military of USA for the wonderful and unthinkable strike on the smugglers. Now Khartoum must begin worrying for Bashir because he is going to picked any time from where he is hiding.
God bless America.
Pollontino
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
hAA hAA… (MABURUK ALEK)MR. STATE MINISTER, Mabrouk Mubarak wake up now if sleeping, and if doing blindfulling… so please make sure that everybody is awake, tell your your master CRIMINAL BASHIR that every single step you take is counted and watch closely. You said that what you have done to the citizens of Sudan is not enmough that you want to reach the outsiders fueling their defferences(Plastine and Israels) no way completely no way.
The conflict between these two nations which are believed to be sons of Abraham had started long long ago before Jesus and Mohammed.
Please get bact to your Holy book, read it again other wise you are being mislead.
Wa Shukaren Thanks
Pollon
Mr. Moto Moto
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
This is a good message for any would be arm smugglers that their activities will not be condone. Sudan cannot hide behind issues of soveriegnity and defend people who are intend on no good.
May the goverment learn a lesson from this incident and change its ways.
Shogar
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
What i don’t understand is why they kept this strike a secret and still not telling any thing?
The idea of broder or air space control is not funny at all, forget about US air strike now, they don’t what was happen in 1998? don’t mention the Darfur JEM crossed 1600km on ground inside sudan to reach there? And sadlly in 2004 they have spent a bout 40% of whole country revenue in Defence!!!!!!!!yes its 40% Imagine, that is in their own record, but how about a proper audited accounts???
And now they are telling us the can defy the world
bunch of lough
Klashenkov
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
ooh sorry for barbaric behaving of american army out of international law.Russia we the Sudan with the best jet fighter for air combat the mig-29 can shoot out that big bird hercules c130 in 30 seconds only.we are not going fly it fur you Sudanse.we sell to you and you fly it yourself shot that big birds.
liberman
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
Let them smuggle the weapons but we will answer them back by killing more muslims. All Arabs and muslims are under the jewish stinky underwear.
kuduhal
US staged deadly air strike against arm smugglers inside Sudan: Official
yeah guys on this web,you did enought as internet warrories before me to correct and challeng the
madfullness of Mr president,
i personnally would not really blame Bashir of being unaware of recent tragedy that had occur in the country.
Because he is like rat inside the trap and wouldn’t mine about the country but the way he would be caught and challenges mr president will face ahesad of him.
According to my critical point of veiw, our country is going to face tought economic,political international relationships crisis right away.
But the only way out of this could be that,country authority should remove mr president by electing another person to raan the country instead of wanted current presiden.
Finally bashir never know that ICC have a power to intercept his plan on the way to arab summit and order it to land down,controllers of airspace never give up thier job
Sudan is under tought millitry monitoring which justified that the inlet and outlet of any commodity is international observes.
MA minus opportunity.