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Sudan accuses Israel over Port Sudan air strike | Sudan accuses Israel over Port Sudan air strike |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Sudanese government says Israel carried out an air strike on a car near the city of Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast which killed its two occupants. | |
Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti said it was an attempt to discredit his country. | |
Earlier, police said a missile had probably come from the direction of the Red Sea. Some sources suggest two helicopters could have been involved. | Earlier, police said a missile had probably come from the direction of the Red Sea. Some sources suggest two helicopters could have been involved. |
The car was hit about 15km (nine miles) south of Port Sudan on Tuesday. | |
Reports of the incident are contradictory and much remains speculation. | Reports of the incident are contradictory and much remains speculation. |
Nonetheless it looks as though this attack could be one more reminder of the shadowy war that is being waged along Sudan's Red Sea coast. The intelligence-gathering is constant. Engagements though are few and far between. | Nonetheless it looks as though this attack could be one more reminder of the shadowy war that is being waged along Sudan's Red Sea coast. The intelligence-gathering is constant. Engagements though are few and far between. |
The struggle pits the Israeli military against well-organised arms smugglers seeking to get weaponry into the Gaza Strip. | The struggle pits the Israeli military against well-organised arms smugglers seeking to get weaponry into the Gaza Strip. |
Of course Israel is not the only country potentially responsible for the missile attack. The US too on occasion has fired missiles at alleged terror targets in Sudan. | Of course Israel is not the only country potentially responsible for the missile attack. The US too on occasion has fired missiles at alleged terror targets in Sudan. |
But this attack against individuals who were clearly considered specific targets suggests a complex intelligence-driven operation. It could well have countering arms-smuggling as its goal. | But this attack against individuals who were clearly considered specific targets suggests a complex intelligence-driven operation. It could well have countering arms-smuggling as its goal. |
Mr Karti said one of the victims was an innocent civilian and efforts were being made to discover the identity of the second man. | |
"The attack was carried out by Israel. We are absolutely sure of this," Mr Karti was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. | |
He said the air strike was a deliberate attempt to damage Sudan's reputation and to disrupt the process of removing Sudan from the list of states that sponsor terrorism. | |
So far no-one has claimed to have carried out the attack. | |
"We heard three loud explosions," a source at Port Sudan airport told Reuters news agency. "Eyewitnesses told us they saw two helicopters which looked like Apaches flying past." | |
The car had been travelling into the city from the airport, one Sudanese official said. | The car had been travelling into the city from the airport, one Sudanese official said. |
Gaza connection? | Gaza connection? |
In 2009 the Sudanese authorities said a convoy of arms smugglers was hit by unidentified aircraft in Sudan's eastern Red Sea state. | In 2009 the Sudanese authorities said a convoy of arms smugglers was hit by unidentified aircraft in Sudan's eastern Red Sea state. |
There was speculation at the time that the strike may have been carried out by Israel to stop weapons bound for Gaza. | There was speculation at the time that the strike may have been carried out by Israel to stop weapons bound for Gaza. |
The then Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, appeared to give credence to the idea that Israel was involved in that attack, saying: "We operate everywhere where we can hit terror infrastructure - in close places and in places further away." | |
Israel has not commented on the latest incident. | Israel has not commented on the latest incident. |
The BBC's James Copnall in Sudan says Hamas, the militant Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip, is on good terms with Khartoum. | |
There has been an uneasy peace in eastern Sudan for several years, following one of Sudan's many civil wars. | There has been an uneasy peace in eastern Sudan for several years, following one of Sudan's many civil wars. |
But the region is very underdeveloped, even by Sudanese standards, and there are fears about increased illegal activity there, our correspondent says. | But the region is very underdeveloped, even by Sudanese standards, and there are fears about increased illegal activity there, our correspondent says. |