Algeria and 3 other Saharan countries set up joint military base to fight al-Qaida offshoot

4 Saharan countries set up joint military base

ALGIERS, Algeria — Four countries in the Sahara desert are opening a joint military headquarters in a united effort to combat terrorism and kidnapping in northwestern Africa.

The Algerian Defense Ministry says the headquarters is being officially installed Wednesday in the Algerian city Tamanrasset, 2,800 kilometers (1,740 miles) south of the nation’s capital deep in the desert.

The four countries directing the operation are Algeria, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

The countries are hoping to establish a collective security response to threats from drug traffickers and al-Qaida operatives in the area. The opening comes a week after a security and terrorism conference among seven Saharan countries.