Mauritania's president accuses Islamists of being involved in the coupe

President of Mauritania Mu'aweya Wild Taye' has linked between the failed coupe attempt which took place in June and the issue of the Islamists who called for Jihad against his regime.

Wild Taye' said during his visit to al-Zweirat bridge to the north of the country that the Islamists and leaders of the coupe moved almost in the same period of time "during which they shared roles and competed to control the authority." The President expressed his wonder on the coincidence between the two moves, saying they targeted to destroy the achievements of his government at the democratic, economic and social levels.

He explained that the participants in the coupe talked about "an attack against the presidency of the republic in order to have members joining them as believing that they are moving in the context of the process of defending the nation," expressing his bewilderment over the occurrence of the coupe just five months before the presidential elections.

The rebel soldiers had almost succeeded in toppling Wild Taye' on June 8 but were defeated after two days of fighting resulted in killing 15 persons and wounding other 68, according to official statistics.

However, motives behind the coupe are still unknown, but it came following a campaign of arrest for scores of Islamists in the country whose all of its inhabitants embrace Islam, and a country which in 1999 the third Arab state which establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.