In the sands of Mauritania, camel cavalry patrols keep jihadists at bay

In the sands of Mauritania, camel cavalry patrols keep jihadists at bay

ACHEMIME (Mauritania), May 24 — A posse of turban-clad soldiers perched on “ships of the desert” may conjure images of the past — but Mauritania’s camelback cavalry plays 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, whom AFP accompanied on patrol for two days. Kalashnikovs lay slung over the soldiers’ …