Security forces in Mauritania have killed a man attempting to ram a vehicle loaded with explosives into a military barrack, officials say.

The incident on Wednesday, shortly after midnight, occurred at the Nema military barrack, about 1,200km east of Nouakchott, the capital.

Troops shot the assailant when he refused to stop as he approached the barracks, causing the truck to explode.

Several barracks in the town of Nema, near the border with Mali, were damaged by the explosion.

A senior military official said that the attack was carried out by an al-Qaeda offshoot in North Africa.

There were no reported deaths in the attack, aside from that of the attacker.

The strike came two days after al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) released two Spanish hostagesit had held captive in Mali for nine months.

A ransom was reportedly paid to secure the release of the pair.