Sunday, August 16, 2009

Mauritania: Mauritania sends 4,000 troops to hunt al-Qaida branch

FOCUS Information Agency - Mauritania will send some 4,000 military staff to the Sahara region to hunt terrorists, Xinhua News Agency informed, citing Saturday's announcement of the Mauritanian Defense Ministry.

The decision was made in line with the outcome of Wednesday's meeting of the chiefs of staff from Algeria, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.

At the meeting, the four discussed their cooperation in fighting crimes, especially terrorist activities, along border areas and decided to launch massive military operations against an al-Qaida branch in the Islamic Maghreb.

The al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a major terrorist group in North Africa, has intensified their activities in the region in recent years. The latest one was a suicide bombing attack on the French embassy in Mauritania on Aug. 8, killing the suicide bomber and injuring another three people.
Published by Mike Hitchen,
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