Nouakachott, October 29: Mauritania’s Defence Minister Hamadi Ould Hamadi said Wednesday his country has opted for an “offensive” strategy against al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) militants.
“We have deliberately opted for an offensive and dynamic strategy to prevent the formation of operational bases directed against our country” by elements of AQIM based in northern Mali, Hamadi told journalists on the sidelines of a forum on terrorism in Nouakchott.
In July and September Mauritania carried out military operations against AQIM in Mali after “information we received allowed us to take offensive action against the units that were preparing to attack the Bassiknou base (in south-eastern Mauritania).”
The defence minister Hamadi said the Mauritanian army has decided to take charge of security throughout the country including parts “which has not had a physical presence of our forces for 34 years.”
“For this we have prioritised our armed forces and security and decided to upgrade their equipment and firepower…”, said Hamadi.
He said his country was “ready to receive help from friends and brothers” and denied any French military presence in Mauritania outside the “legal framework of technical assistance as there is for health and education in particular.
“There is no French base in Mauritania, nor will there be, not for France, nor for other countries,” he said.
——Agencies