Armed men shoot at Mauritania PresidentOctober 14, 2012 - 17:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Troops shot Mauritania's president Saturday, October 13 in what the government calls a case of "friendly fire" - though others believe it may have been something more sinister, CNN said. President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's convoy mistakenly came under fire as it was heading back toward the capital of Nouakchott, the official AMI news agency reported. The gunshots came from a military unit stationed alongside the road in the west African country. The president was "lightly injured," and government spokesman Hamdi Ould Mahjoub described the shooting as "friendly fire," state news reported. Aziz was being treated at Nouakchott's military hospital and doing well. But witnesses said they believe the incident was an assassination attempt because unknown armed men shot their guns at the president and ran away, according to the independent Mauritania News agency. The witnesses said the armed men "directly" targeted the president as he was returning from his farm in the Inchiri province, near the capital, Mauritania News reported. Mauritania has a history of political instability, and faces threats from al Qaeda militants. A former general, Aziz came to power in a bloodless 2008 military coup -- one of many such coups the country of about 3.4 million people has had since it gained independence from France in 1960. He ousted Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, who had been the nation's first democratically elected leader, according to the U.S. State Department. Aziz was elected president in 2009. Still, even with that result, the CIA describes the country's leadership as a "military junta." Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. |