Sudan's VP Garang killed in crash

BBC ^ | AUGUST 1, 2005

[jmc1969]

Sudan's Vice-President John Garang, a former rebel leader, has been killed in a crash, a UN official has said.

Mr Garang had been missing since Saturday, when contact was lost with his helicopter flying back from Uganda.

He was greeted as a peacemaker by more than a million people when he was sworn in three weeks ago as part of a deal ending a decades-long civil war.

The BBC's Jonah Fisher says Mr Garang's importance in holding together southern Sudan cannot be overstated.

[the invisib1e hand]

oh, another UN sponsored rub-out?

[oolatec]

This does not look good... I really hope this isn't a signal for anything to happen in the states...

[lexington minuteman 1775]

You don't suspect foul play? /sarcasm on

[blueminnesota]

Time to lock up the machetes.

[Mr.Clark]

Wow, this is really big.

[Mr.Clark]

Wow, this is really big.

[toothfairy86]

What? Another Arkancide?

[nuffsenuff]

A little payback for treating Condi and her staff improperly?

[Solamente]

The Strela-2 (Russian for "arrow") is a shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile, designated "SA-7a" by the United States, and "Grail" by NATO. The missile entered production in 1967, the improved Strela-2M in 1970. The low -altitude missile was designed to deter enemy pilots from flying "under the radar." Because of its unsophisticated tracking device, it is most effective when fired from directly behind a jet, or at an approaching helicopter. Length: approx. 5 feet Weight: approx. 21 pounds Propulsion: solid fuel Guidance: infra-red passive homing Warhead: 2.6 lb. high explosive, impact fuse Max. missile speed: 962 mph Max. target speed: 582 mph receding, 336 mph head-on Max. effective range: 11,000 - 13,800 feet Max. effective altitude: 5,000 - 7500 feet Source: Jane's Land-Based Air Defence

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Why did the CLINTONS,

...who supported our terrorist enemy Communist North Vietnam Dictator HO CHI MINH against us during the Vietnam War,

...refuse 3 free offers from the Sudan during the 1990's to give us our No. 1 terrorist enemy OSAMA bin LADEN on a silver platter before he could hit us real hard here at home..???



................vs...............




RICK RESCORLA: 911 Lifesaving Hero, r.i.p.

http://www.RickRescorla.com

http://www.strategyzoneonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24361

.

[Strategerist]

A little payback for treating Condi and her staff improperly?

Garang was a leader of the black non-Muslim rebels in the South that was fighting the Arab Muslim government. If it wasn't an accident and he was rubbed out, it was the Sudanese government or factions within it itself.

[nuffsenuff]

Got it, thanks.

[Atchafalaya]

Good guy/bad guy? Anybody got a program; and who printed said program??

[ApplegateRanch]

Three weeks? Sure didn't take'm long.

[section9]

If we find out, as we surely will, that the genocidal Khartoum jihadist government had Garang's chopper shot down with a STRELA, then were I Condi and Rumsfeld, I would strongly recommend to Bush to begin arms shipments to the rebels. Good stuff, with SF A-Teams to help them out with training. We've got plenty of stuff nearby.

This just reeks of Rwanda '94. I can guarantee that this was a rubout. Stupid Muzzies. They just had to kill Garang.

Poor S.O.B. didn't get a chance to even be a halfway decent Moise Tshombe.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[happyathome]

We were speculating on an earlier post that Osama's hand might be behind this. Quaida and the US have been jockeying for influence over the Sudan recently. A couple of us speculated that the death of Garang - who fought the Sudanese Arabs for decades and who they brought into government only by holding their noses - reminded us of Osama assassinating Ahmed Shah Massoud as a favor to the Taliban...just a few days before 9/11.

The interesting thing is that it happened in a Ugandan helo, presumably flying over Southern Sudan (Garang's stronghold). The Ugandans have been backing Garang ever since Museveni took over in the 90's. So its unlkely the Ugandans had a hand in this. Earlier thoughts about a Strela are more plausible.

Course its always possible the helo just had mechanical difficulties.

Anyway, Garang's "army" is a loose coalition of various Christian groups and lots of animists, all united by Garang and their hatred of the Muslim Arabs. I don't think there was a succession plan.

[section9]

What do you want to bet that the Ugandan Army checked out that helo before it left? This was a STRELA job, with some inside help.

There was inside help on the Massoud job, if you'll recall.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Southack]

Just FYI, the SA-7's effective life is generally regarded as having expired. They're the "Bitter Beer" of born on dated ground to air ordnance.

[Heatseeker]

I agree it does sound like a Ahmed Shah Massoud type of hit. But I don't think you need al-Qaeda for this; the original Khartoum regime has more than enough reason.

I'd be very curious to know if the mechanics who worked on that copter, or anyone who had preflight ccess to it, were Muslim.