US Inks 10-Year Military Deal with Tunisia

Tunisia and the US signed a document on Wednesday, outlining a defense cooperation map between them over a period of ten years.

US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, who visited Tunisia in a tour in the Maghreb region, inked a "ten-year military deal" with his counterpart Ibrahim Al-Bartaji.

Esper stressed on the close defense cooperation between Tunisia and Washington since 2015 which provided support in order to face the chaotic situation in Libya.

Esper and Al-Bartaji discussed ways to strengthen cooperation against the jihadist organizations such as  ISIS and al-Qaeda, in addition to "regional instability exacerbated by some other states.

Esper gave Al-Bartaji an exact copy of a pistol belonging to the first President of the United States of America, George Washington, and emphasized ‘the importance of keeping the army away from politics.’

"We look forward to expanding this relationship to help Tunisia protect its maritime ports and land borders, deter terrorism, and keep the corrosive efforts of autocratic regimes out of your country," the US Secretary of Defense said.

Following his meeting with Tunisian President Kais Saied, the US Secretary of Defense gave a speech at the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage where the American soldiers were buried in North Africa during World War II.

"The United States will continue to deepen our alliances and partnerships across the continent, including with Tunisia, where your democratic government and sovereignty have made much of our work in the region possible," he mentioned during his speech at the North Africa American cemetery and memorial in Carthage.

He also praised the role Tunisia plays as a non-NATO ally, adding that the goal is to confront extremists.

The American role in supporting the Tunisian army evolved, as the Pentagon collocated nearly $ 1 billion in support to the military forces since the 2011 revolution, according to "AFRICOM".

The Tunisian authorities asserted repeatedly that there was no American military base on its territory. However, US media reports revealed in 2017 that a military team, specialized in operating drones, was found at a Tunisian base in the Governorate of Bizerte (North).

The Carnegie Center researcher Youssef Al-Sharif said that there is a "renewed interest" by Washington in Tunisia and Morocco because the region became strategic in recent years with the spread of extremist jihadist groups in Libya and the Sahel region.

"Tunisia cannot accept the exploitation of its airspace and the land in order to launch attacks," he added.