On patrol for jihadists with Mauritania's camel cavalry

Achemime, Mauritania (AFP) May 9, 2025

A posse of turban-clad soldiers perched on "ships of the desert" may conjure images of the past but Mauritania's camelback cavalry play a vital role in the fight against jihadism today. They are the Meharists, heirs to the camel-riding army units founded back in the time when imperialist France ruled the west African nation, who AFP accompanied on patrol for two days. Kalashnikovs lay sl