The French military said Friday it helped Mauritanian forces thwart an attack by suspected Al-Qaeda extremists, and a Mauritanian minister said six suspects were killed in the raid in North Africa. Four others suspected of belonging to Al-Qaeda's North African offshoot escaped during the raid, Mauritania's Interior Minister Mohamed Ould Boilil said, adding the group had been planning to attack a Mauritanian military base next week. Questions swirled around the military operation in the former French colony. The Spanish newspaper El Pais and other media said the raid early Thursday was an attempt to free a 78-year-old French hostage held by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, which is active in the Sahara and Sahel desert regions of Africa. El Pais said the troops did not find hostage Michel Germaneau, who was abducted April 22. AQIM had threatened to execute Germaneau early next week if its demands on releasing prisoners were not met. The group has claimed several kidnappings of tourists in recent years, including British hostage Edwin Dyer, who was killed last year when Britain refused to pay a ransom. The French Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry declined to answer questions about whether the operation was intended to free Germaneau or when it took place. A statement from the Defense Ministry simply noted that AQIM has refused to prove that he is alive or discuss freeing him. The brief French statement also said the operation “neutralized the group of terrorists and prevented a planned attack against Mauritanian objectives,” and said France had provided “technical and logistics support.” It was also not immediately clear where the raid took place - AQIM has long taken advantage of porous borders in the Sahara to move between countries. Boilil said only that it happened outside his country but “not far from our borders,” suggesting the location was Mali. He said soldiers also seized explosive devices, weapons and telecommunications materials in the operation. AQIM is also holding two Spanish aid workers, Roque Pascual and Albert Vilalta, who were taken hostage in Mauritania in November. A Spanish foreign ministry spokeswoman said Spain would continue seeking the Spaniards' release. She declined to comment on news reports that said Spain was worried the military operation might affect efforts to free them. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with ministry policy.
