"The operations were successful," an official said.
So far, Mauritanian Air Force combat planes struck AQIM vehicles in
northern Mali. Officials said the air strikes, the first by Mauritania in
years, marked an offensive against AQIM in Mali launched in mid-September.
Mauritania did not identify the models of the aircraft that participated
in the strike on AQIM. The Air Force, said to have 250 personnel, does not
contain any fighter-jets, but rather a handful of U.S.-origin Basler BT-67 and
Cessna-337 transport platforms. Italy and China have also exported aircraft
to the Mauritanian military.
Mauritania's military has been aided by France and the United States.
Algeria has also offered to help its North African neighbor.
Officials said the Mauritanian Army has also been shelling suspected
AQIM bases in northern Mali. The air and artillery strikes were reported in
Timbuktu, about 900 kilometers northeast of the Mali capital of Bamako.
In 2010, Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger began forming a joint
military command to fight AQIM. Mauritania has contributed officers to the
so-called Joint Operation Military Committee with six other North African
states.