The US military confirmed that the United States was considering using one of its brigades "for security assistance in Tunisia", in what appears to be a response to Russian military activities in Libya.
The US military command in Africa, Africom, revealed that its commander, Stephen Townsend, expressed to Tunisian Defense Minister Imad Al-Hazqi, in a phone call, their willingness to deploy "security auxiliary forces" there, and of concern about Russian military activities in Libya.
The statement stressed that Tunisian and American officials have agreed to cooperate in order to achieve regional security and confront the escalation of violence in Libya.
Townsend said that "security in North Africa has become a major concern, while Russia is fueling the conflict in Libya," according to the statement.
"We will search for new ways for our common security concerns with Tunisia to use our forces," he added.
The statement added that Tunisia understands the benefits of association with American values and professionalism, and that it values partnership with the United States.
The military official stressed his country's commitment to work with its African partners to confront common challenges, in light of the continuing threats from what he called terrorist networks and malicious actors.
In a statement, the Tunisian Ministry of Defense said that the United States is a key partner in the Tunisian army's capacity-building efforts.
It is noteworthy that "AFRICOM" is affiliated with the American Ground Forces, and it is sending its units to the allied countries to provide security, training and maneuvers.
The US military said on Wednesday that Russian military personnel had delivered 14 MiG-29 and Sukhoi-24 aircraft to the Al-Jafra air base of retired Major General Khalifa Haftar. A member of the Russian parliament denied this.
Egypt, Russia and the United Arab Emirates support Haftar's forces, which began in April last year to attack the capital Tripoli.
In recent weeks, the forces of the National Accord government have made significant progress in the field, expelling Haftar's forces from several locations, controlling the western coast to the Tunisian border, and forces Haftar's forces to withdraw from several locations near Tripoli.