Parliament condemns US air strikes

The national assembly on Wednesday criticised American military strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan as "unjustified and lacking legitimacy," the daily newspaper 'Al-Rai al-Amm' reported on Thursday. Assembly members called for an end to the strikes, a stronger UN rile in the crisis, and for food and medical assistance for Afghanistan, it stated. Sudan, where suspected international terrorist Osama bin Laden lived from 1991 to 1996, is still officially designated as a state sponsor of terrorism by the US State Department, but has earned Washington's appreciation for efforts to assist the international coalition against terrorism since the 11 September suicide attacks on the US. The Sudanese government has given the US intelligence information on suspected terrorist groups and funding mechanisms, as well as expelling or arresting dozens of radical Muslims since the attacks on the US, according to news reports. The US Department of State last week issued a travel alert warning US citizens against all travel to Sudan, saying that Washington had no permanent diplomatic presence in Sudan because of concerns regarding the government of Sudan's ability to ensure adequately the safety of US officials. The security situation throughout Sudan was unstable, it said, and the government's control over its police and soldiers may be limited. The 11 September terrorist attacks on the US and the presence of sectarian and militant groups in Sudan had raised the concern for the security of Americans there, the notice stated. Those who remain in Sudan should "keep a low profile, stay alert to changing developments, and avoid large crowds and other situations in which anti-American sentiments may be expressed," it added.