Three arrested Mauritanians to serve as money exchange for the release of 6 foreign nationals.

A top Malian military officer yesterday announced the arrest of a Mauritanian citizen in possession of forged documents and an important sum of money. The individual is supposedly in connection with the Algeria- based terrorist organization” Salafit Group for Call and Combat” and one of the kidnappers of the 6 foreigners in the Niger desert .

• The French Press Agency yesterday reported Malian military sources saying that the individual was arrested last week in northern Mali in addition to two others recently, putting the number to three Mauritanians busted by the Malian authorities.
• Reliable sources revealed that these individuals were the same asked by the terrorist organization to be released in exchange of the 6 abducted foreign nationals.
• Experts do not exclude the eventuality of the transfer of the Mauritanians as being part of “secret” ongoing negotiations with the terrorist organization in order to look at the possibility to bargain in a bid to free the hostages.
•  This operation gives back to surface the role of  the leader of the terrorist organization in the desert  Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar , who took part in the past in negotiations for the release of Austrian tourists in the Tunisian desert .
•  According to security experts, Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar has stopped his terrorist activities since 2003 and started negotiations with the Algerian authorities to surrender as part of the national reconciliation procedures.
• This decision led most of his former elements to proceed to his discharge and replace him by the current leader “Droudkel” while a handful of Mauritanian faithful leaving in the Malian- Mauritanian borders decided to pay allegiance to Belmokhtar .