Five officers killed in raid on Islamic State cell in Sudan capital

Five security officers were shot dead in raids on an Islamic State cell in Khartoum on Tuesday. Another officer was injured.

The General Intelligence Service (GIS) said in a press statement yesterday that two GIS officers and three non-commissioned security officers were killed in raids on a terrorist cell affiliated with Islamic State in blocks 14 and 18 in Jabra and block 14 in El Azhari in southern Khartoum. Another officer was wounded.

“A force from the General Intelligence Service raided all locations where the terrorists were hiding,” the statement reads. “The operation resulted in the arrest of 11 foreign terrorists of various nationalities.”

The terrorist group in Block 14 in Jabra shot at the GIS force, which led to the death of the five officers. Four foreign terrorists managed to flee and are remain at large.

Sudan Tribune quotes terrorism expert El Hadi Mohamed El Amin who does not exclude the possibility of new terrorist attacks as the political situation in Sudan is conducive for the spread of violence.

He said that the cell was probably planning to carry out attacks on foreigners in Khartoum on New Year’s Day.

The fact that all the cell members are foreigners indicate that it is easy for them to enter the country. Some of them carry the Sudanese nationality. They must have received support from Sudanese, the terrorism expert said. The logistics such as weapons or other things, in addition to the housing, were mostly provided with the help of Sudanese accomplices.

The Council of Ministers, including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok extended their condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues of the victims, and to “the Sudanese people in general concerning this great calamity,” they said in a press statement yesterday.