American sources: Israel's air force struck Sudan convoy

Date: 27 / 03 / 2009  Time:  10:36
Bethlehem – Ma’an –

Israeli terrorist forces warplanes bombed a convoy of trucks in Sudan allegedly headed toward the Gaza Strip, American officials told the New York Times on Wednesday.

According to US sources, the January airstrike took place as an effort to stop the flow of weapons to Hamas during Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip.

Israeli officials have refused to confirm or deny the attack.

But American officials reportedly told the New York Times that Israeli war planes did in fact target the convoy, a strike that killed at least 40 Africans, with other estimates reaching as high as 800.

According to Sudanese officials familiar with the case, the strike occurred in a remote eastern part of Sudan, where they said American fighters killed dozens in an airstrike.

The area where the attack occurred is near Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where weapons are commonly smuggled through the country, according to the New York Times.

Sudanese spokesperson Rabie A. Atti said the death toll was higher than 39, which has been commonly reported since early Thursday when the attack came to light, and that “more than 100 people” were killed in the strike.

Atti also denied reports that the convoy was carrying weapons. “I’ve heard this allegation, but it’s not true,” he said. “It was a genocide, committed by US forces.”

When the New York Times asked how he knew the forces were American, Atti said: “We don’t differentiate between the US and Israel. They are all one.”

But American officials denied any connection with the attack. US spokesperson Vince Crawley said: “The US military has not conducted any airstrikes, fired any missiles or undertaken any combat operations in or around Sudan since October 2008, when US Africa Command formally became responsible for US military action in Africa.”

The New York Times’ sources, reportedly two American intelligence officials, declined to be identified because they were discussing classified information and were not authorized to speak on behalf of the administration of US President Barack Obama.

But they did say that Iran had been involved in the effort to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip. They also said an operative from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was in Sudan coordinating the arms-trafficking effort.