Benin's President Patrice Talon said on Thursday that the bulk of the army did not back a recent foiled coup bid whose leaders recruited young trainee soldiers.

"No significant segment of the army joined" the attempted coup of December 7, which saw a group of soldiers claim on national television that they had deposed the president, Talon told reporters.

The attempted coup, which led to several deaths, was foiled within hours by the Beninese army, with swift support from neighbouring Nigeria.

Several mutineers, including their leader, lieutenant colonel Pascal Tigri, remain on the run.

Thirty suspects detained

Around 30 people, mostly military personnel, have since been detained and face prosecution for "treason", "murder" and an "attack on state security."

"This was not a coup d'etat but an attack," Talon said during a news conference at the presidency in the city of Cotonou.

"It takes much more for a coup d'etat. There was no popular support, no significant segment of the army joined it. The majority are not from the National Guard," he said, of those behind the attempted putsch.

"They took young soldiers in training from the Togbin base. Neither the command nor any sub-command of the Guard were involved," Talon added.

Work of 'thugs, small-scale terrorists'

He said the attempted coup was the work of "thugs, small-scale terrorists encouraged by some political actors on the margins and outside."

Referring to the support Benin received in the wake of the coup attempt, Talon said that "a surgical strike was needed to neutralise the armoured vehicles they had taken possession of."

"Nigeria carried out two strikes at our request, within the framework of (regional West African bloc) ECOWAS to avoid loss of life.

"If we had used our own weapons, there would have been damage," he said.

Asks neighbouring countries to extradite coup plotters

"It is commendable that this type of attack is condemned," he said, referring to the intervention of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

"You can have disagreements, but you must not encourage men to make this choice" of staging an attempt to remove their government, Talon said.

Referring to Tigri, Talon indicated that he had "left the camp in civilian clothes and in a vehicle."

His fellow putschists "were able to cross borders... we have contacted the relevant countries for them to send them to us."