The Mauritania Elite Unit of the National Gendarmerie, supported by the First Commando Battalion, and the Mauritanian Military Aviation, on Saturday 11th March 2023, about 10 a.m, succeeded in neutralizing four Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) prisoners who escaped last Sunday 5th March, 2023 from the Central Prison in the country’s capital, Nouakchott. The Mauritania Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Interior issued a joint statement confirming the incident. During the operation, three prisoners were killed and a fourth arrested in the operation.