Khartoum

Khartoum (in Arabic, al-Khartūm: الخرطوم, meaning elephant trunk) iscapitalSudan, atpoint whereWhite Nile coming from Uganda meetsBlue Nile coming from Ethiopia. The Nile flows north from here towards Egypt andMediterranean Sea.

The city proper haspopulationwell overmillion, but formsits neighbours Khartoum North (al-Khartūm Bahrī)Omdurman (Umm Durmān)metropolis totalling now probably over four million inhabitants.

Troops loyal toMahdi Muhammad Ahmad laid siegeKhartoum starting on March 13, 1884capturedcity nearly on January 26, 1885. Omdurman wasscene ofbloody battle (September 2, 1898)which British forces destroyedMahdist army defendingcity.

Following1998 U.S. embassy bombings,United States., accusing Osama bin Laden's Islamic extremist al-Qaeda groupresponsibility, retaliatedcruise missile attacks (August 20) on al-Qaeda campsAfghanistan andal-Shifa pharmaceutical factoryKhartoum.