CIA Uses Spies From Sudan to Infiltrate Iraq

The CIA is secretly working with the Sudanese government to send spies into Iraq, even as the US condemns the regime's role in the Darfur genocide, the LA Times reports. Sudan's position as a gateway for Islamic militants heading for Iraq and Pakistan makes it ideal for sending spies into Iraq. And Sudanese agents can penetrate where Americans cannot.

But critics say that cooperation also undercuts the White House's commitment to fighting genocide. Bush has imposed sanctions on Khartoum, but hasn't pushed the issue as much as activists would like. Sudan's role in intelligence "is the single biggest contributor to why the gap between rhetoric and action is so large," says an International Crisis Group adviser. (More Darfur stories.)