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Tunisia-Algeria Railway Resumes Services after 30-Year Hiatus

The train at the railway station in the Tunisian capital (TAP)
The train at the railway station in the Tunisian capital (TAP)
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Tunisia-Algeria Railway Resumes Services after 30-Year Hiatus

The train at the railway station in the Tunisian capital (TAP)
The train at the railway station in the Tunisian capital (TAP)

The Algeria-Tunisia railway resumed its services on Sunday morning after a nearly three-decade hiatus because of political turmoil in Algeria, and a deteriorating security situation in the 1990s.
The inaugural commercial service was launched from Tunis to Algeria’s Annaba Station.
The train will travel a distance of 357 km, accommodating up to 300 passengers per trip.
Tunisia’s Acting Minister of Transport Sarra Zafarani Zanzri and her Algerian counterpart Mohamed El Habib Zahana gave the go-ahead for this first journey at the Tunis railway station.
The seven-hour journey will cover more than 300 km with stops in the stations of Beja, Jendouba, Ghar el-Damma and Algeria's Souk Ahras and Annaba, he said.
In June, the two sides ran several test trips after signing an agreement on the mechanisms for re-running a train between Tunisia and Algeria.
The Tunisian National Railways Company will first run the trips, which will boost tourism and trade between the two countries, and will ease the pressure on congested land crossings. Nearly 3 million Algerian tourists arrive in Tunisia annually.

 

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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
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Erdogan Says Türkiye Can ‘Crush’ All Terrorists in Syria

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)
Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a press conference during the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 19, 2024. (AFP)

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on Wednesday that Türkiye had the power and ability to "crush" all terrorists in Syria, including ISIS and Kurdish militants, while urging all countries to "take their hands off" Syria.

Since last month's fall of Bashar al-Assad, Türkiye has said repeatedly it was time for the Kurdish YPG militia to disband. Ankara considers the group, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist organization.

Ankara has said the new Syrian administration must be given an opportunity to address the YPG presence, but also threatened to mount a new cross-border operation against the militia based in northeast Syria if its demands are not met.

Speaking in parliament, Erdogan said the YPG was the biggest problem in Syria now, and added that the group would not be able to escape its inevitable end unless it lays down its arms.

"Regarding fabricated excuses like ISIS, these have no convincing side anymore," Erdogan said, referring to the US position that the YPG was a key partner against ISIS in Syria and that it plays a vital role guarding prison camps where the extremist militants are kept.

"If there is really a fear of the ISIS threat in Syria and the region, the biggest power that has the will and power to resolve this issue is Türkiye," he said.

"Everyone should take their hands off Syria and we, along with our Syrian siblings, will crush the heads of ISIS, the YPG and other terrorist organizations in a short time."

Türkiye has repeatedly asked its NATO ally the United States to halt support for the SDF, and has said the new administration in Syria had offered to take over the management of the prisons.