Mauritanian Security Pursues 'Sleeper Cells', Fears Return of Clashes with 'Al-Qaeda'

Mauritanian forces during a patrol in the desert (Mauritian Army)

The Mauritanian authorities announced that an anti-terrorism military unit carried out a special operation in a remote desert area, killing three of the four al-Qaeda members who escaped from the central prison in Nouakchott a week ago.

The fleeing prisoners were apprehended about 400 km northeast of the capital en route to a desert road used by smugglers leading to Mali.