Control Unclear in Coup Attempt
Heavy explosions and machine-gun fire shook the capital, Nouakchott, as the nation’s pro-Western leader battled a coup attempt by rebel soldiers. The army chief was reported killed in the fighting, which followed a crackdown on Islamic activists.
The whereabouts of President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya remained unknown, and it was unclear who controlled the capital. Coup forces claimed to have seized the presidential palace, state radio station and other key buildings, but the government said it had the situation under control.
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