Airplanes Were Attacked When They Flew Into Disputed Area

Four U.S. service members on a mission to evacuate American citizens from Sudan Saturday were injured, one seriously, when the three aircraft they were flying were attacked and forced to turn back without completing the mission.

The mission was one of several to get American citizens out of Sudan, where a political crisis boiled over in violence last week. The Americans are at a United Nations compound where some 14,000 refugees are surrounded by young armed men, according to a report appearing in the New York Times.

The aircraft were CV-22 Ospreys. They had been dispatched to Bor, the capital of Jonglei State, from Djibouti in Sudan. As they approached Bor about 1000 local time, they were "fired on by small-arms fire by unknown forces,” according to a military statement.

A military official speaking on condition of anonymity said the pilots believed that they were entering into a "generally permissive environment" when they were fired on.

All of the service members were reportedly in stable condition Sunday. The Obama administration said it does not know how many Americans may still be in Bor, or what options the President is considering for their evacuation.

(V-22 Osprey pictured in file photo)

FMI: www.whitehouse.gov, www.state.gov