Adel Bagrou attack

Adel Bagrou attack
Part of the Insurgency in the Maghreb (2002–present)
Attack location
Attack location
Attack location
Attack location (Mauritania)
DateDecember 20, 2011; 14 years ago (2011-12-20)
18:00 (UTC)
Location
Adel Bagrou, Hodh Ech Chargui, Mauritania
15°29′51″N 6°57′2″W / 15.49750°N 6.95056°W / 15.49750; -6.95056
Result AQIM victory
Belligerents
Mauritania AQIM
Strength
1 man 5 men
Casualties and losses
1 captured None

On 20 December 2011, militants affiliated with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) attacked a Mauritanian gendarmerie post in Adel Bagrou, a town in the Hodh Ech Chargui region near the Malian border.

Background

The attack occurred during a period of heightened militant activity in the Sahel. In the months leading up to the incident, Mauritanian forces had conducted several successful operations against AQIM, including a joint raid with Malian forces in the Wagadou Forest and a major confrontation in Bassikounou in July 2011. These operations significantly weakened AQIM cells operating along the Mauritania–Mali frontier and were widely seen as increasing pressure on the group.

Attack

Around 18:00 local time, five armed men in a pickup truck attacked the Adel Bagrou gendarmerie post, located approximately 4 km from the Malian border. Only one gendarme was present at the post. The attackers opened fire, disabled his vehicle by shooting its tires, and abducted the gendarme, Ely Ould Mokhtar. Mauritanian authorities subsequently ordered a pursuit of the attackers.

Aftermath

On 11 February 2012, AQMI threatened to execute the kidnapped gendarme unless Mauritanian authorities released imprisoned AQMI members within a 20-day ultimatum; he was eventually released through a prisoner exchange on 10 March 2012, in which Mauritania transferred Abderrahmane Ould Meddou, a Malian national serving a five-year sentence for assisting in the 2009 kidnapping of an Italian couple.

This incident is considered the last successful terrorist attack on Mauritanian soil, as the country has managed to prevent similar incidents for more than a decade.

References

  1. 1 2 "Country Reports on Terrorism 2011 - Mauritania". United States Department of State. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "هجوم على مركز للشرطة الموريتانية على الحدود مع مالي وخطف دركي" [Attack on a Mauritanian gendarmerie post on the border with Mali and kidnapping of a gendarme]. Al-Quds Al-Arabi (in Arabic). 21 December 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  3. ↑ "Aqmi menace d'exécuter le gendarme mauritanien Ely Ould Mokhtar dans 20 jours si la Mauritanie n'accède pas à ses exigences" [AQMI threatens to execute Mauritanian gendarme Ely Ould Mokhtar in 20 days if Mauritania does not meet its demands]. MauriMedia.com (in French). 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  4. ↑ "Al-Qaeda frees gendarme held hostage in Mauritania". AFP. 10 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Hassane Koné (6 December 2019). "How has Mauritania managed to stave off terror attacks?". ISS Today. Archived from the original on 25 March 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.
  6. ↑ Anouar Boukhars (16 June 2020). "Keeping Terrorism at Bay in Mauritania". Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Archived from the original on 5 February 2026. Retrieved 22 March 2026.