Mauritania pardons 9 ex-AQIM militants

The President of Mauritania has pardoned nine individuals previously convicted on terrorism charges after they declared repentance for their past involvement with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). The militants were linked to several attacks in Mauritania and Mali, as well as the kidnapping of French tourists. Their leader, Khadim Ould al-Bachir Ould Semane, had previously been sentenced to death for attacks on police stations.