Mauritanian troops foiled a suicide bomb attack early on Wednesday. Soldiers killed the bomber who tried to ram his 4x4 vehicle into the main military barracks in Nema, about 1,200 kilometres east of the capital Nouakchott.

A senior official attributed the attack to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

The bomber refused to listen to warnings and continued to try and drive the vehicle, containing explosives, into the barracks.

Soldiers fired at the all-terrain vehicle triggering a big explosion which caused heavy damage. Although there were no other deaths reported, witnesses said three people were slightly injured.

The attack comes a month after the Mauritanian army attacked the bases of the Islamist group in Mali to pre-empt strikes on its military bases at home.