The United States has recently asked Algeria to support a military operation against extremists who target its soldiers in Niger, like reported by middleeastmonitor.com.
A senior US official is reported to have discussed with senior Algerian officials if the Algerian army could participate in the military operation being prepared in Niger. The request was made on the side-lines of a global anti-terror forum recently held in Algiers, the Algerian capital.
Raffi Gregorian, Acting Deputy Coordinator for Regional and Multilateral Affairs in the US State Department said the Algerians have not yet responded to the American request.
The Algerian constitution forbids the country’s army from participating in internal conflicts outside of Algeria.
Political analyst, Abdel-Aali Razzaqi said in remarks to Al-Arab Al- Yawm newspaper that the Algerian army cannot participate in any operation outside the country’s borders for several reasons because Algeria adheres to the principle of distancing itself from involving the army in civil wars in neighbouring countries.
“Involving the army in conflicts outside of Algeria will bring only more trouble,” he said.
