Tunisian Warplane Destroys Three Cars Loaded with Arms

A Tunisian military plane destroyed three cars loaded with weapons that were driving just north of the country's southern border with Algeria and Libya, the official TAP news agency said Thursday.

The plane attacked the vehicles after their occupants opened fire on it as it patrolled the southern zone of Satah al-Hassan 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the triple border overnight Wednesday, TAP reported.

The defense ministry would not immediately comment on the report when contacted by AFP.

Tunisian news sites reported that the cars were loaded with arms from Libya and were crossing Tunisia to get to Algeria.

Arms trafficking has exploded in the region since the 2011 conflict in Libya that toppled dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Tunisia's large desert south has proved difficult to police.

In September last year, the Tunisian army clashed with an armed group that crossed the border from Algeria in the south, killing six of the infiltrators, according to a Western diplomat.

The commander-in-chief of the United States' Africa Command, General Carter Ham, warned during an April visit to Tunisia of the increase of illegal weapons in Africa and the threat of terrorist groups on the continent, particularly al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).