Hassen Kacimi, the official in charge of
Algeria went through years of devastating civil war with hardcore jihadist groups in the 1990s. While violence is now greatly diminished, sporadic attacks continue in isolated areas.
"We have hosted 50,000 Syrians in the past few years for humanitarian reasons," Kacimi said, alluding to refugees from Syria’s civil war, "but we cannot accept members of gangs fleeing from Syria when it comes to our security."
He said around 100 had reached the southern border with the help of local armed escorts in recent weeks but were intercepted and expelled shortly after they slipped into Algeria.
Kacimi said these Syrians had transited
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan and Niger or Mali using fake Sudanese passports.
"Definitely this is a criminal network and we must be very vigilant not to allow them get into Algeria," he said.
Algeria has kept diplomatic relations with Syria throughout its own civil war, in which
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
has largely defeated rebels and jihadists trying to topple him. Syrians do not need visas to enter Algeria.