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NEFA Foundation: AQIM Claims Bombing at French Embassy in Mauritania

By Evan Kohlmann

algeriajihad.jpgThe NEFA Foundation has obtained and translated a new statement from Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claiming responsibility for an August 8 suicide bombing attack on the French embassy in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott. The communique identified the bomber as "Abu Obaidah Musa al-Basri", a local from a suburb of Nouakchott who first joined Al-Qaida in December 2008. According to the document, "he strapped himself with an explosive belt to attack one of the crusader dens, the French Embassy in Nouakchott. By the grace of Allah, he was able to reach the target--however, there were barriers that prevented him from entering the building, thus he detonated himself by the gate of the embassy targeting the French military guards."

A translation of the communique, along with photos of the bomber Abu Obaidah Musa al-Basri, can be viewed on the NEFA Foundation website.