Italian, wife missing in eastern Mauritania

NOUAKCHOTT Dec 19 (Reuters) - An Italian and his wife were missing and their car was found abandoned in eastern Mauritania, near the border with Mali, diplomatic sources said on Saturday.

The vehicle was found on Saturday morning in an area where armed groups with links to Al Qaeda are known to operate but there was no immediate information on why the man and his wife, who is from Burkina Faso, had left the vehicle.

"All we know is that a vehicle, belonging to an Italian was found today near the border with Mali," a diplomat told Reuters.

A second diplomat, who also asked not to be named, confirmed the couple was missing but could not give any further details.

Italy's foreign ministry said it was checking the report.

Armed groups, some of whom have links to al Qaeda's wing in the region, operate across the vast, remote desert zone, which includes eastern Mauritania, northern Mali and southern Algeria.

Three Spanish aid workers disappeared in Mauritania last month after an attack on their convoy. Malian security sources believe the trio are now being held by al Qaeda's north African wing on its territory.

(Reporting by Laurent Prieur; Writing by David Lewis; Editing by Michael Roddy)