Algeria deploys 12,000 soldiers on Tunisia border
Iran Press TV
Wed Sep 4, 2013 12:43PM GMT
Algeria has positioned 12,000 soldiers along its border with Tunisia amid threats of “terrorist” attacks in the area, an Algerian security source says.
The security source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said earlier this week that the troops were deployed to several provinces including Tebessa, Souk Ahras and El Oued.
The source added that during the past four months, Algerian authorities have set up 60 checkpoints and outposts in the area.
On August 29, Tunisia’s Defense Minister Rachid Sabbagh said his country would set up buffer zones along the borders with Algeria and Libya to fight “terrorism” in the North African nation.
He did not specify where the zones would be set up, but stressed that people travelling to those areas of the country will be required to hold special permits from the government.
Moreover, Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said Algeria is committed to assisting Tunisia in its “fight against terrorism.”
In early August, the Tunisian army carried out military operations against militants in Mount Chaambi near the Algerian border, where eight Tunisian soldiers had been killed by suspected members of the Ansar al-Sharia group in late July.
Tunisia, the birthplace of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, is struggling with a democratic changeover after the overthrow of its Western-backed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
MAM/KA
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