Special to WorldTribune.com

ANKARA — Tunisia has acknowledged the presence of thousands of its nationals fighting against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Officials said Tunisia and its North African neighbors have been deemed leading recruitment centers for Al Qaida.

The officials said thousands of Algerians, Libyans, Moroccans and Tunisians were believed fighting for Al Qaida militias in northern Syria.

In February, Interior Minister Lutfi Jedo said nearly 300 Tunisians were arrested on charges of sending fighters to Syria.

“Those who return from Syria have been under surveillance,” Jedo said.

Turkey and Tunisia have pledged to enhance security cooperation.

Officials said the two Middle East states agreed to improve cooperation between their security services. They said the cooperation would focus on an intelligence exchange regarding insurgency threats, particularly the foreign fighter presence in Syria.

“We are ready to provide cooperation not only with Tunisia, rather all
governments,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

“It would be better if they were prevented from leaving Tunisia,”
Davutoglu said during a visit to Tunis on Feb. 11. “But if they came out of
Tunisia on their way to Turkey, and we are provided with the intelligence,
we are ready to provide assistance.”

  Ahmet Davutoglu, Al Qaida militias, Lutfi Jedo, Thousands of Tunisians who fought in Syria placed under surveillance back home