Tunisia, Britain to Develop Joint Counter-Terror Plan

Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
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Tunisia, Britain to Develop Joint Counter-Terror Plan

Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)
Policemen patrol during a military operation against militants in a village some 50 km (31 miles) from the town of Ben Guerdane, Tunisia, near the Libyan border March 10, 2016. (Reuters)

Tunisia and Britain announced efforts to develop a joint strategy to combat terrorism and its impact.

The announcement was made during an international conference organized by the British embassy and Axiom International and hosted by Tunis. Head of Tunisia’s anti-terrorism commission (CNLCT) Mounir Ksiksi and British Ambassador Edward Oakden, as well as international experts and Tunisian government officials, attended the event.

Both parties agreed that “cyber terrorism” is the current most dangerous threat given that it preys on children and women.

They revealed a bilateral effort to establish a center for training people from scientific backgrounds to study terrorist phenomena and means to prevent them.

Ksiksi affirmed his country’s partnership with the United Kingdom’s embassy to review the domestic counter-terror strategy, which mainly relies on identifying terrorist threats against Tunisia, especially from ISIS and al-Qaeda.

He said the strategy will be implemented on ground and carried out by the military and security forces. A second part of the plan aims to prevent terrorism through protecting Tunisian society.

Tunisia and Britain have suffered from terrorist attacks in the past, Oakden ssaid, citing the Ben Guerdane battle in Tunis and the London and Manchester attacks in the UK.

Britain has boosted its counter-terrorism support for the North African country, especially after the 2015 attacks.



Flooding Kills More than a Dozen People in Morocco, Algeria

A car drives through a flooded street after flooding in Morocco's region of Zagora on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
A car drives through a flooded street after flooding in Morocco's region of Zagora on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
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Flooding Kills More than a Dozen People in Morocco, Algeria

A car drives through a flooded street after flooding in Morocco's region of Zagora on September 7, 2024. (AFP)
A car drives through a flooded street after flooding in Morocco's region of Zagora on September 7, 2024. (AFP)

Torrential downpours hit North Africa's normally arid mountains and deserts over the weekend, causing flooding that killed more than a dozen people in Morocco and Algeria and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure.

In Morocco, officials said the two days of storms surpassed historic averages, in some cases exceeding the annual average rainfall. The downpours affected some of the regions that experienced a deadly earthquake one year ago.

Meteorologists had predicted that a rare deluge could strike North Africa’s Sahara Desert, where many areas receive less than an inch of rain a year, according to The AP.

Officials in Morocco said 11 people were killed in rural areas where infrastructure has historically been lacking, and 24 homes collapsed. Nine people were missing. Drinking water and electrical infrastructure were damaged, along with major roads.

Rachid El Khalfi, Morocco’s Interior Ministry spokesperson, said in a statement on Sunday that the government was working to restore communication and access to flooded regions in the “exceptional situation” and urged people to use caution.

In neighboring Algeria, which held a presidential election over the weekend, authorities said at least five died in the country's desert provinces. Interior Minister Brahim Merad called the situation “catastrophic” on state-owned television.

Algeria’s state-run news service APS said the government had sent thousands of civil protection and military officers to help with emergency response efforts and rescue families stuck in their homes. The floods also damaged bridges and trains.