Sudan claims U.S. raided Baghdad embassy

Sudan abandoned its diplomatic mission in Baghdad following the kidnapping of 5 employees in December, 2005. The embassy is located near the road to Baghdad airport, one of the most dangerous stretches in Iraq, which has been called 'six miles of mayhem, bombs and snipers'.

KHARTOUM, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Sudan on Wednesday summoned the senior U.S. diplomat in Khartoum after it said American troops raided the Sudanese embassy in Baghdad, violating diplomatic conventions, a foreign ministry spokesman said.

In Baghdad, U.S. spokesman Christopher Garver denied U.S. troops had raided the Sudanese embassy, which is near the airport road where many bombs have targeted troops and convoys.

"Nine American soldiers in four military vehicles forcibly went into the embassy after overpowering the guards and searched the embassy offices inside," said Ali al-Sadig, Sudan's foreign ministry spokesman.

The embassy has been officially closed for more than a year after Sudanese diplomats were targeted in attacks by insurgents in an effort to get Arab states to withdraw diplomatic representation in Iraq.

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