Tunisia calls on U.S. for help to guard borders - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Tunisia calls on U.S. for help to guard borders

TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisia’s defense minister has called for increased cooperation with the United States to help guard his country’s borders.

Abdelkrim Zbidi spoke Wednesday following a meeting of a joint Tunisian-U.S. military commission that discussed increased training and logistics support for the North African country’s forces.

Tunisian forces have recently clashed with armed groups with links to militants in neighboring Libya. There also have been clashes with groups believed to have ties to al-Qaida militants active in the desert south of Tunisia.

Violence from the civil war in Libya and the battles with al-Qaida in neighboring Algeria has sometimes spilled over into Tunisia.