Rebels fighting a yearlong insurgency in western Sudan ambushed an army convoy, killing 150 soldiers and destroying 10 trucks and a tank, a rebel spokesman said Saturday.
| Hurrah! Hope he's telling the truth... |
Some 200 rebels of the Sudan Liberation Army, armed with small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and artillery, attacked the convoy of 700 soldiers Friday travelling near Khazan Gadid town in south Darfur region, SLA spokesman Hassan Mandela said. Five rebels were killed in the fighting, which lasted for several hours. Government officials could not be immediately contacted for comment. When asked why the rebels suffered so few casualties, Mandela said: "It’s our land, we know the place, where to place our ambushes." Mandela said the rebels had changed their tactics, moving out of towns and villages they controlled in a bid to prevent civilians being targeted by government forces. "Our strategy now is to block roads and fight groups of army. We attack towns to chase the army away and then leave the towns," Mandela said. He said government forces were, however, still bombing villages inhabited by Africans. |