Official: 3 Spanish hostages being taken to Mali

A Mauritanian official says the three Spanish aid workers kidnapped in the West African desert nation of Mauritania are being taken to neighboring Mali.

A Mauritanian official says the three Spanish aid workers kidnapped in the West African desert nation of Mauritania are being taken to neighboring Mali.

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The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media on the subject, says the hostages are headed to a camp run by al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb.

The three Spanish aid workers, who work for a group called Barcelona Accion Solidaria, were abducted Sunday.

Spanish officials have said they fear the hostages were taken by al-Qaida of the Islamic Maghreb.

The group operates mainly in Algeria but is suspected of crossing the country’s porous desert borders to spread violence in the rest of northwestern Africa.