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Mauritania blames Al Qaeda ally for deadly raid
Mauritania says its soldiers were killed in a weekend raid by militants belonging to an Algerian Islamic fundamentalist group allied to Al Qaeda.

Defence Minister Baba Ould Sidi told reporters the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) was behind a dawn attack on a remote military post in north-east Mauritania on Saturday.

"A unit of our national army ... was attacked at dawn on Saturday by the terrorist group known as GSPC," he said.

He said 15 Mauritanian soldiers were killed in the attack, 17 more were wounded and two were missing.

Five of the 150 attackers, who were well-equipped, were killed, he said.

The attack took place in the village of Limgheiti, not far from the border with Mali and Algeria.

The gunmen stole six military vehicles and burnt two others, the Minister said.

Mauritanian troops were put on maximum alert, military sources said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1385057.htm

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