The United States yesterday told the UN Security Council it had exercised its legal right to self-defence under the United Nations Charter in attacking targets in Afghanistan and Sudan.
In an apparent effort to head off any UN action, the US Ambassador, Mr Bill Richardson, said in a letter Washington had obtained convincing information that the organisation of Osama bin Laden was responsible for the August 7th bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Sudan is expected to file a complaint to the Security Council, its UN ambassador, Mr Elfatih Mohamed Ahmed Erwa, told reporters.
He also told CNN television that Mr bin Laden, born in Saudi Arabia, had entered Sudan in 1992 as a businessman and established a construction company.
Mr Erwa contended the factory bombed by the US was a pharmaceutical firm, about 1 km from his home, and had little to do with chemical weapons as Washington alleged.
The anti-Taliban Afghan government, which still holds the UN seat, said in a statement it supported the fight against terrorism.
But it said it doubted that air strikes could eliminate all terrorist training centres in Afghanistan.
The UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, in a brief statement issued by his spokesman, said he condemned terrorism in all its forms and expressed concern at the US military strike.
He said he had been informed by Washington minutes after the strikes took place and awaited further details.
Mr Richardson said the attacks were carried out only after "repeated efforts to convince the government of Sudan and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to shut these terrorist activities down". An angry mob attacked the US embassy in Khartoum early today after the US military strike destroyed an alleged chemical plant on the outskirts of the capital and wounded at least seven people.
Crowds of angry Sudanese attacked the embassy, which does not have resident US diplomats, several hours after the strike. Sudanese authorities said the privately owned Ashifa factory manufactured children's medicines and malaria drugs and denounced the raid as a crime.