Algeria sends air-to-surface missiles to Tunisia

Algeria has provided Tunisia with Russian-made air-to-surface missiles to support its fight against terrorist groups, an Algerian security source revealed yesterday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Anadolu Agency: “The Tunisian army received on Thursday the first shipment of Russian made air-to-surface missiles to support targeting the hideouts of terrorist groups.”

The source did not disclose the size of the shipment.

“The missiles were transported through a land corridor in Algeria’s Tebessa province on the border with Tunisia,” the source explained.

He pointed out that “the Tunisian army has previously received several shipments of weapons needed in clashes with terrorist groups in light of the security cooperation between the two countries.”

“The Russian-made missiles will mainly be used in attacking hideouts of terrorist elements in the mountains near the border between the two countries including the Jebel ech Chambi.”

Algeria and Tunisia have security cooperate to counter jihadist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which is believed to be active on the border between the two countries.

In a press statement during his visit to Algeria in February, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said that “cooperation between Algeria and Tunisia is at an ideal level and that if it wasn’t for the security cooperation between the two countries, terrorism would have spread in the region.”

There has been no official statement from the Algerian or Tunisian armies.