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Sudan Accuses US of Strike

By John Johnson, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 26, 2009 5:40 PM CDT

(Newser) – Sudan is now blaming "American fighters" for an airstrike on a convoy of trucks in the desert, the New York Times reports. The US denies the charges. Sudan's accusation follows earlier reports that Israel conducted the January airstrike to prevent a weapons delivery to Gaza. A Sudanese official's statement may explain the apparent shift: "We don’t differentiate between the US and Israel. They are all one."

Sudan could be lashing out because of the recent international warrant issued for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the Times notes. The Sudanese official said the attack killed more than 100 people—"a genocide committed by US forces.” Israeli PM Ehud Olmert did not confirm his nation's role but said Israel reserves the right to strike against enemies, the BBC notes. "That was true in the north, and it was true in the south," he said. "Those who need to know, know there is no place where Israel cannot operate."

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Two peacekeepers patrol by displaced Sudanese children at Zamzam refugee camp, outside the Darfur town of al-Fasher, Sudan. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Gen. Martin Agwai of the UN/African Union peacekeeping force, is seen through two peacekeepers as he arrives at the Kas military base in Kas, Sudan. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

Sudanese president Omar Al-Bashir, left, is accompanied by his vice President Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, right, at Khartoum airport, Sudan, Monday, March 23, 2009. (AP Photo/Abd Raouf)

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The US military has not conducted any air strikes, fired any missiles or undertaken any combat operations in or around Sudan since October 2008.
- Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the United States Africa Command

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