World Watch
By

Dan Raviv /

CNET/ March 25, 2009, 3:04 PM

U.S. Accused Of Killing 39 In Sudan Strike

366343A government minister in Sudan is accusing the United States Air Force of killing dozens of people in that north African country this past January – but the semi-official American version of the story is very different.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin has been told that Israeli aircraft carried out the attack. Israeli intelligence is said to have discovered that weapons were being trucked through Sudan, heading north toward Egypt, whereupon they would cross the Sinai Desert and be smuggled into Hamas-held territory in Gaza.

In January, the U.S. signed an agreement with Israel that calls for an international effort to stop arms smuggling into Gaza. Hamas was showering rockets on Israeli towns, and Israel had responded by invading Gaza. More than 1,000 Palestinians were reportedly killed in the December-January war, and 13 Israelis lost their lives.

In the airstrike in Sudan – said to have been "in a desert area northwest of Port Sudan city, near Mount al-Sha'anoon," according to SudanTribune.com – 39 people riding in 17 trucks were reportedly killed.

The first government official in Sudan to talk about it was the state minister for highways, Mabrouk Mubarak Saleem, who said: "A major power bombed small trucks carrying arms – burning all of them. It killed Sudanese, Eritreans, and Ethiopians and injured others."

According to SudanTribune.com, the airstrike was an "embarrassment" to Sudan's government, and it discussed the matter with Egypt's government – allied with the U.S. on most issues – "to gather more information to formulate a response."

The Web site added: "American and Israeli diplomats said the [January] agreement includes intelligence coordination to prevent arms from Iran from entering Gaza, maritime efforts to identify ships carrying weaponry, and the sharing of U.S. and European technologies to discover and prevent the use of weapons-smuggling tunnels."

If Israeli airplanes carried out the attack in Sudan, it would suggest that there is a shadow war against Hamas and its weapons sources that is wider than the Israeli or U.S. government has revealed.

Dan Raviv is a CBS News correspondent in Washington.
© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc.. All Rights Reserved.
  • Dan Raviv On Twitter »

    Dan Raviv is a correspondent for CBS Radio News based in Washington, host of CBS News Weekend Roundup, and and co-author of "Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars"

14 Comments Add a Comment
linkicon reporticon emailicon
foxy2009 says:
(atrocity commited by a muslim government against non-muslims)Posted by CUBANOGM

well man!!! did you know that most of darfur population ARE Muslims??? (killed millions of Darfur residents)that is huge man!!!! form where did you get your info?
i say :killing ONE human is BAD but spreading lies which could affects millions is MORE worse
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
yurang says:
I break out into a cold sweat merely thinking about what "my beloved brethren "residing in America have said?
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
geeta72 says:
Why the Israeliers killed these people. Where is the evidence, don't these people have a right to a proces?
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
fredio4truth says:
Hi,
wether its Iranian arms bombed in Sudan or American arms bound for Israel is not the main problem.
The problem lies with the Israeli`s greed for more land , land being stolen daily from the West Bank as new settlements or as material quarried illegaly and shiped back to Israel .
The longer the conflict goes on the harder it will be to pry them off. It will also harden the worlds view of America, who it would seem to assist these illegal, immoral and disgusting acts.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
football443 says:
Pretty impressive.

It would also be a good thing to see other Western forces in Darfur helping to block the ethnic cleansing by the Sudanese government.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
chnvncmmnst says:
Why is that Sudan cired out loud now when airtrike against dictorship country that had kill million of the innocent civilian for the past 10 years. Sudan deserved it.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
nasdfndr says:
Does this also mean that the transports carrying billions of dollars worth of US arms to Israel are "legitimate" targets? As always, Israel's security is paramount while the goy are expendable.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
CUBANOGM says:
How is the Sudan government dare to accuse anybody from killing human beings?.They are really galling.The Sudan Governamnet has killed millions of Darfur residents directly or by starvation and dehidration.It is a murderous government that should be deposed ASAP.American muslims should be ashamed of themselves for not speaking against this atrocity commited by a muslim government against non-muslims.Lets not even bring into play that all are africans and most american muslims call themselves african-americans.Shame on them and the Nation of Islam for condoning these murderous actions.Allah will punish you in your house and family.Blessed be He that is the Rod of Justice.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
roadracer9x says:
Is it now ok for Sudan to send airstrikes back to Israel?
Posted by babooph.

Let them try but they won't ever succeed. Remember that Syria lost 80 planes to zero for the Israelis over the Bekka Valley in 1982 and some of those Syrian planes were piloted by experienced Russian combat pilots.
reply
linkicon reporticon emailicon
toolmangler-2009 says:
The rich nations use cruise missiles.. the poor men use explosive vests.

They're both terrorists.
Posted by wyodutch at 6:01 PM : Mar 25, 2009




One is about as effective as the other'
it is the personal commitment that makes the difference.
reply
See all 14 Comments