U.S. military experts are training Algerian forces to fight the threat posed by rebels in the vast Sahara desert as part of the global war on terror, a U.S. official said on Tuesday. The unprecedented training, an indication of warming U.S.-Algerian ties, follows a separate U.S. initiative to help four nations on the southern edge of the Sahara combat security threats -- Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. "U.S.-Algerian cooperation, including military, is expanding in many areas. Last year we increased our military education and training programmes," a U.S. embassy spokesperson in Algiers said. The official declined to elaborate on the training.
Military experts say the cooperation is a major step for Algeria’s powerful military, which has been shunned in the past partly due of its involvement in national politics. Officials would not elaborate on the sort of training involved.
| They can say no more, either... |
Foreign Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem declined to comment on U.S.-Algeria training but told Reuters: "There is normal (anti-terrorism) cooperation between all countries, including the United States."
| Hmmm... He can say no more, too... |
"Counter-terrorism is a key area of U.S.-Algerian cooperation; Algeria’s cooperation in the fight against terrorism has been outstanding," the embassy spokesperson said.
The official dismissed newspaper reports that Washington planned to build a base in the Algerian desert.
| Fort Zinderneuf, he we come! |
"The United States has no military bases and is not seeking bases in Algeria or the Sahel countries," the official said, referring to Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. The Ministry of Defence declined to comment.
| They can... Oh, hell. You know. |
Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia said recently that rebels fighting for a Taliban-style state were no longer a threat to Algeria but that they might try to strike on the eve of presidential elections on April 8. GSPC chief Abu Ibrahim Mustafa warned last month that the war on the authorities was far from over.
| I think Abu Ibrahim was the only person who could say anything in the entire article. |
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