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| Africa: North |
| Knights of Change attack Mauritanian army base, kill 18 |
| 2005-06-05 |
| Eighteen soldiers were killed and at least 20 injured in an attack on an army base in a remote region of Mauritania overrun by armed bandits and smugglers, Mauritanian military sources said on Sunday. The northeastern base close to the borders of Algeria and Mali, manned by about 50 soldiers, was hit by unidentified assailants overnight Thursday, the sources said. Following the attack, the army was placed on full alert and reinforcements and reconnaissance aircraft were rushed to the region. The base is situated in the middle of the desert at Lemgheity, close to the border with Mali. The Malian military said more than 50 soldiers had been killed in the attack. No reliable information was immediately available on the identity of the attackers, and the government declined comment. But sources close to the government pointed the finger at an opposition movement called the "Knights of Change," which the government says is supported by radical Islamic movements as well as by Libya and Burkino Faso, both of which deny it. Two leaders of the movement, Abderhamane Ould Mini and Saleh Ould Hennena, were condemned to life imprisonment in February for attempted coups d'etat in 2003 and 2004, and four other members of the group are wanted. Other sources with official ties said the Algerian Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat could have been linked to the attack because of the arrest since April 25 of about 50 Mauritanians accused of links with the Al Qaeda network. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |