BREAKING NEWS

US to triple military aid to Tunisia

The United States will increase military aid to Tunisia threefold this year and help train its troops, a senior US official said on Friday, weeks after the country suffered its deadliest militant attack in more than a decade.

The US government aimed to provide Tunisia with more equipment, weapons and technical support, US deputy secretary of state Antony Blinken said.

"Our goal is to enhance their ability to defeat those who threaten the freedom and safety of the nation," he told a news conference after meeting Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid.

Since a 2011 uprising that toppled Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has, in contrast to much of North Africa and the Middle East, experienced a comparatively trouble-free transition towards democracy.