09/08/2013
The latest incidents on the border between Tunisia and Algeria linked to the issue of the Tunisian counter-terrorist operation launched in Jebel Chaambi in December 2012 have drawn particular attention in the North African and European media.
On July 29, the Tunisian forces faced an attack with the worst death toll since many years. 9 soldiers, members of an elite unit, were killed during a fire fight with a terrorist group in the Chaambi Mountains (Jebel Chaambi).
Due to its localization 17 km from the border with Algeria, the Chaambi Mountains constitutes a strategic place for terrorists groups who try to cross the border from Algeria. 3 terrorists who attempted to infiltrate Tunisia were shot dead on August 5. On the same day, a weapons cache hidden in a cemetery near the border was seized by the Tunisian security services. 12 alleged terrorists were also arrested during this operation that took place thanks to an exchange of intelligence information between Algeria and Tunisia. In a previous statement, the Tunisian army claimed having given orders to capture the terrorists instead of shooting them. The army aims to take benefit of the pieces of intelligence.
Ongoing security operations forced numerous Islamist terrorists to escape from the area of Chaambi Mountains and to shelter in other regions of the country or even to cross the border and infiltrate neighboring Algeria. For instance, a member of the terrorist Katibat Okba Ibn Nafaa was captured by the national forces in Kef, close to the nerve point of the operation. The suspect was wanted under several arrest warrants.
In addition to the 9 soldiers killed by terrorists on July 29, an anti-tank mine exploded on August 6, killing a soldier and injuring 5 others. Since this incident, the Tunisian army took the decision to modify its tactic by using combat tanks resisting against the mines used by terrorists in Jebel Chaambi.
Due to the risk that terrorists spotted in Jebel Chaambi could come back in Algeria due to the strengthening of the Tunisian counter-terrorist operation Algerian authorities decided to intensify cooperation with Tunisia against terrorism.
On August 6 and 7, Tunisian Minister of Foreign Affairs Othman Jarandi was travelling to Algiers to discuss with the Algerian authorities who have been concerned for months by the counter-terrorist fight on the other side of the border, in Jebel Chaambi. A bilateral statement promised to strengthen the security cooperation between the 2 neighbors. Algerian media reported that Algiers have sent thousands of their soldiers to fight terrorism on their side of the border. Although media have mentioned that intelligence services of both countries have already exchanged information for many months, Algeria refuses to expose its security strategy to the public.
Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Othman Jarandi claimed on August 6 that the terrorists do not care about borders and that their power is due to their ability to move easily from a state to another
Up to now, it should be mentioned that the terrorists fighting In the Chaambi mountains remains almost unidentified. All we know is the presence of:
– A cell fighting in the name of Tarik ibn Ziad brigade, earlier led by AQIM officer Abou Zeïd who was shot dead in a clash with the French army during the war in Mali. His death was confirmed by an AQIM statement on June 16 but without providing further information about the date. Abou Zaied’s brigade was almost dismantled in Mali except a section composed of 30 people that flew 6 months ago to the North on the border between Algeria and Tunisia;
– The Batna brigade composed of numerous Algerian citizens coming from the city of Batna, close to the border with Tunisia. Batna has become famous for being a nerve centre of AQIM activities;
– Former Tunisian jihadists who fought in Syria. The Uqba Ibn Nafaa brigad is in charge to recruit these jihadists in Tunisia before sending them to Syria. The Uqba Ibn Nafaa brigad is mostly operating in the city of Kasserine, only few kilometers from Jebel Chaambi. Sources said they could be dozens of them fighting in Jebel Chaambi.
Terrorism expert Mathieu Guidère claimed in an interview in Le Nouvel Observateur that the terrorist proliferation in Jebel Chaambi took advantage of the weakness of Tunisia after the revolution in 2011. Tunisia failed to tackle rapidly the issue of terrorism due to the change of power. Despite the wide military operation launched in the Chaambi mountains, terrorists are spreading their zone of influence in other regions of the country.
Conflicts Reports 