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Latest coverage
Second man charged in U.S. embassy attack
Prior Coverage
Terror figure's family has benign ties in US Bomb kills 1, hurts 25 at Cape Town eatery Japan cult may have used agent found in Sudan Heightened security signals wariness of terror Taliban report vow by Saudi tied to blasts Arab League calls missile attacks "blatant violation"
Assets frozen
Detainees speak
Prepared to die
Flashpoints Elsewhere
Hardening Policy
Local Response
News Analysis
Vacation Redux Afghans, Sudanese denounce attacks
Chronology Security levels raised across US US calls terrorists' losses significant Security at monument is tightened Pakistan multinational staff says they feel threatened Egypt says it not involved in strikes on Sudan Sudanese mob British embassy in Khartoum Reports dull success of strikes Pakistan says missile didn't land on soil Most Americans approve of Clinton's decision More than 70 protest in Boston US hits "terrorist facilities" in Afghanistan, Sudan At home, timing of move appears suspect to some Rapid retaliation departure for US With 2d address, a different Clinton
Reaction
The weapon Religious zeal supplanting politics as motive An attack project born amid turmoil Quick, need rewrite! A vacation hiatus surprises press Culture of cynicism makes comparisons to movie inevitable
Editorial With 2d address, a different Clinton
Profile
The Air Strikes Details
Out Front (Associated Press) "Islamic Int'l" now in sights of a superpower Prominent Arab militants from Afghanistan Maps From the CIA
Statements President Clinton
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Sudan president castigates U.S., rallies crowdMob storms British embassy
By Jamal Halaby, Associated Press, 08/22/98
KHARTOUM, Sudan - Whipping up popular anger over a U.S. missile strike, President Omar el-Bashir said Saturday that Sudanese were prepared to die in a holy war.
"America is attacking us because we are guardians of Islam,'' el-Bashir told a crowd of at least 5,000 people who rallied in a square outside his offices in central Khartoum.
"We have tasted the sweet flavor of jihad (holy war) and martyrdom and what we seek now is to die for the sake of God,'' el-Bashir said.
"Go! Go! We are behind you,'' and "Death to America'' responded the throng, which included Cabinet ministers, members of parliament, trade unionists and students who were given the day off to attend the rally.
After el-Bashir's speech, some 500 protesters went to the British Embassy where they hurled stones at the building. One demonstrator climbed to the top of the embassy flagpole and cut down the Union Jack.
After the flag dropped to the ground, angry demonstrators tore it to pieces.
The British government supported the U.S. attack on a factory in north Khartoum on Thursday. Washington says the factory produced the ingredients of chemical weapons, while Khartoum says it only manufactured medicine.
One person was killed in the attack and nine others wounded.
President Clinton ordered the cruise missile strike in retaliation for the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Aug. 7. U.S. missiles also struck the Afghanistan camps of Muslim militant Osama bin Laden, the man whom Washington accuses of instigating the embassy bombings.
Sudan's government, beleaguered by economic failure and 15 years of war against southern insurgents, has sought to use the strikes to rally support.
Another speaker at Saturday's rally launched a scathing attack on America's allies in the Middle East, such as Israel and Egypt.
"America's Arab friends and the head of the snake, Israel, are deceiving Clinton and the Americans into becoming enemies of Muslims,'' said the head of the Sudanese Students' Federation, Hamdi Hassan.
"The Israelis want to maintain the upper hand in a region that is predominantly Arab and Muslim,'' Hassan said.
One banner at the rally hit on a theme sounded time and again by Sudanese: Clinton launched the attack to draw attention from his affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
It said: "No war for Monica.''
Sudan has asked the U.N. Security Council to convene an urgent meeting to consider a U.N. investigation into the factory's production and the attack. Sudanese diplomats are to address an emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on Monday.
The lawyer for the owner of the pharmaceutical plant destroyed by U.S. missiles said Saturday that the plant only produced only drugs and its owner never met bin Laden.
"I think the Americans are under bad information and they are not well briefed,'' said Ghazi Suleiman, a lawyer for Salah Idris, the factory's Sudanese owner.
"I think it would have been prudent before destroying the plant to come and investigate the site.'
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