GIs at Our Borders?

Americans are beginning to lay siege to Libyan borders in the course of a new crusade against al-Qaida bases. What will be the result for Tunisia?

American media recently revealed that the United States has decided, at the insistence of the Pentagon and the State Department, to allocate nearly $8 million to help Libya build an elite unit of troops intended to combat extremist groups who are in the pay of al-Qaida. In addition, the State Department intends to redirect $4 million (previously destined for Pakistan) to the improvement, over three years, of the security situation on Libyan borders.*

These urgent steps come the day after 50 GIs landed in Libya in the wake of the death of American ambassador Christopher Stevens during an attack on the consulate in Benghazi. In the aftermath, drones (one of the most sophisticated military strike forces in the U.S. army) are now increasingly active in Libyan airspace, U.S. media reported.

In other words, we can begin to speak of an “American siege on Libyan borders.” Strategically, these borders are increasingly vulnerable to the growing threat of al-Qaida in neighboring countries, notably Algeria and Mali. These threats are even more serious as, on the one hand, the number of extremist groups established in Libya has not ceased to rise; and on the other hand, the bloody contingent of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb has recently restructured and appointed Yahia Abou al-Hamam, of Algerian origin, as the new boss of the “Sahara-Sahel” zone. He replaces Nabil Makhloufi, alias “Nabil Abou Alkama,” who was killed last month in Mali. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb strongman Abdelmalek Droukdel (alias “Abou Mossaâb Abdelwadoud”), based in Algeria, masterminded this “partial reorganization” with the support of al-Qaida’s “Number One,” Aymen al-Zawahiri.

What Is the Benefit for Tunisia?

It is undeniable that Americans have geared up in their fight against the splinter groups of al-Qaida that abound at our borders. Thus the question arises of whether or not the American hunt will spare Tunisian territory. This question is extremely serious and deserves to be asked, especially recalling the recent bloody attacks of Bir Ali Ben Khelifa and Errouhia, which bore the mark of al-Qaida, not to mention the threats issued by Aymen al-Zawahiri to the leader of Ennahda, Rached Ghannouchi. In short, intelligence experts assert that it is not out of the question that, after having marched on Libya, Americans will one day be obliged to bring their hunt into our own borders.

*Editor’s Note: According to U.S. sources, $8 million for the elite unit of troops was shifted from Pakistan to Libya, while the $4 million for border security is a separate sum.