Twelve killed in Mauritania fighting

MAURITANIAN military forces killed 12 members of al-Qaeda's North African wing and suffered two casualties in fighting in the desert border zone flanking Mali.

Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) is the chief suspect in Thursday's kidnapping of seven foreigners, including five French citizens, in Niger but two separate security sources in the region said the latest fighting was unrelated.

Mauritanian forces had encircled around 20 AQIM vehicles in the border area and the fighting continued yesterday.

The clashes escalated the battle between Saharan countries and AQIM after a spate of kidnappings followed by demands for ransoms that are thought to be financing an expansion of the militants' presence in the desert.