Military of Mauritania The military forces of Mauritania are listed by the IISS Military Balance 2007 as comprising 15 , 870 personnel with an additional 5 , 000 paramilitaries . The Navy ( Marine Mauritanienne ) has 620 personnel and 10 patrol and coastal combatants , with bases at Nouadhibou and Nouakchott . The CIA reports that the navy includes naval infantry . The small Air Force ( Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie , FAIM ) has 250 personnel , 2 FTB - 337 aircraft , 15 transport aircraft of various types , and 4 SF - 260E trainers . The 5 , 000 paramilitaries are divided in the National Gendarmerie ( 3 , 000 ) , and the National Guard ( 2 , 000 ) who both report to the Ministry of the Interior . Other paramilitary services reported by the CIA in 2001 include the National Police , Presidential Guard . History . Saleh Ould Hanenna , a former army major , led the attempted 2003 Mauritanian coup d ' état in June 2003 . It aimed to overthrow President Maaouya Ould Taya . He commanded a rebel section of the Army during two days of heavy fighting in Nouakchott . With the failure of the coup Hanenna initially escaped capture , and formed a group called the Knights of Change with Mohamed Ould Cheikhna , but he was arrested on October 9 , 2004 . General Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz , a career soldier and high - ranking officer , was a leading figure in the 2005 Mauritanian coup d ' état that deposed President Maaouya Ould Sid ' Ahmed Taya . In August 2008 General Ould Abdel Aziz led the 2008 Mauritanian coup d ' état that toppled President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi . Following the latter coup , Abdel Aziz became President of the High Council of State as part of what was described as a political transition leading to a new election . He resigned from that post in April 2009 in order to stand as a candidate in the July 2009 presidential election , which he won . He was sworn in on 5 August 2009 . Army . The Army is 15 , 000 strong , according to the IISS , with six military regions , two camel corps battalions , one battalion of T - 54 / 55 battle tanks , one armoured reconnaissance squadron , eight garrison infantry battalions , seven motorised infantry battalions , one commando / para battalion , 3 artillery battalions , 4 air defence batteries , one engineer company , and one guard battalion . The 1ère région militaire is at Nouadhibou , 2nd Military Region is at Zouerate , 3rd Military Region is at Atar , 4ème région militaire may be at Tidjikdja , 5th Military Region headquarters is at Néma , 6th Military Region may be in the area of the capital , and the 7th Military Region may be at Aleg . The Mauritanian military is currently involved in Operation Enduring Freedom - Trans Sahara . Previous U . S . anti - terrorist engagement included training under the Pan Sahel Initiative . Under the PSI , a 10th Special Forces Group training team carried out a one week border monitoring training programme in January 2004 . The IISS listed equipment in 2007 as including 35 T - 54 / 55 main battle tanks , 70 reconnaissance vehicles ( 20 Panhard AML - 60 , 40 Panhard AML - 90 , 10 Alvis Saladin ) 25 wheeled APCs ( estimate 20 Panhard M3 and 5 Alvis Saracen ) , 194 artillery pieces ( 80 towed : 36 HM - 2 / M - 101 , 20 D - 30 , 24 D - 74 ; 114 mortars ( 60 60 - mm , 30 Brandt 120 - mm ) , 24 MILAN ATGM , 114 recoilless rocket launchers ( est . 90 M - 40A1 106mm , est 24 M - 20 75mm ) , est 48 RPG - 7 Knout , 104 SAMs ( est 100 SA - 7 Grail , and a reported 4 SA - 9 Gaskin ) , and 82 towed anti - aircraft guns ( 14 . 5mm , including 12 ZPU - 4 , 23mm , 37mm , 12 57 mm AZP S - 60 , and 12 100 KS - 19s . Air force . After achieving independence in 1960 the Faidem ' s ( Force Aerienne Islamique de Mauritanie ) was supplied equipment by France , such as C - 47s and MH . 1521 Broussards , which was later replaced by the Britten - Norman BN - 2A Defender between 1976 – 78 and had operated as a transport and observation squadron in the Western Sahara War . During the same time two Cessna 337s and two DHC - 5 Buffalo STOL transports were supplied in 1977 - 78 with one DHC - 5 crashing almost immediately and the other being returned to De Havilland Canada in 1979 . After the Polisario Front shot down one Defender and damaged two in 1978 the Mauritanian government ordered six IA - 58 Pucará s for ground attack duties from Argentina ; this order was later cancelled after a Mauritanian military coup . More recent procurements have been from China in the form of the Harbin Y - 12 II turboprop transports were delivered in September 1995 , one crashed in April 1996 . A second one crashed on July 12 , 2012 . The Xian Y7 - 100C ( a copy of the AN - 24 transport ) was delivered from October 1997 , which crashed in May 1998 .