Mauritania

NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania - The Mauritanian army has launched an offensive against the North African branch of al-Qaida in neighboring Mali.

PARIS - A 78-year-old ailing French aid worker was executed "in cold blood" by al-Qaida's North African branch three months after his capture, in retaliation for a failed rescue attempt that killed six militants, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Monday.

CAIRO - The leader of al-Qaida's offshoot in North Africa said in a message broadcast Sunday that the group has killed a French engineer taken hostage in Niger in April.

PARIS - The French military said Friday it helped Mauritanian forces thwart an attack by suspected al-Qaida extremists, and a Mauritanian minister said six suspects were killed in the raid in North Africa.