Six alleged members of Al Qaeda are reported to have been shot dead by French-backed Mauritanian forces in the Islamic Maghreb in raid conducted at dawn in the Sahara, on Thursday.

However, the four militants who managed to protect themselves from the bullets, finally fled into the surrounding wastelands, the Mauritanian Interior Minister Mohamed Ould Boilil, posted Friday.

Al-Qaeda, an Islamic Maghreb is believed to have its roots in the remote desert areas where Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Algeria come together.

The French Defense Ministry on Friday uncovered that the ten militants group had planned to attack on the "Mauritanian objectives".

Also, the team faced a failure in capturing a French civilian, Michel Germaneau, who is believed to be in the group's custody since last April. He was abducted by the group members while he was out for some humanitarian work in Niger, French and Mauritanian officials allege.

The Mauritanian military conducted the raid depicting a poised technical and logistical assistance fetched from France, the French Defense Ministry outlined on Friday.

In addition, Mr. Germaneau, 78, has received death threat from the group, incase France fails to accept their demand of having a prisoner exchange.