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Thursday
Mar 18th

Mauritanian leader blames previous regimes for terrorism

The resurgence of terrorism in Mauritania, marked by the abduction of three Spanish humanitarian workers on 29 November, "is due to an accumulation of security failures by previous regimes," Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz said Tuesday.

"We are working to overcome these failures," declared Aziz, whose comments were relayed Wednesday through the state-owned media.

He explained that the Mauritanian army, in particular, suffered from mismanagement and that the security forces did not have the equipment and means necessary to fulfill their security role regarding terrorism.

In recent years, Mauritania has been the scene of several terrorist acts, including the latest one for which a terrorist group, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has claimed responsibility.

Nouakchott - Pana 09/12/2009