1960s The battle of the borders,[3] was a group of military operations initiated mainly on the Algeria-Tunisia border during the Algerian war, from 21 January to 28 May 1958, by the paratrooper units of the French army against the attacks, and bombardments of the Morice line by the combatants of the Armée de libération nationale (ALN), the military branch of the FLN, stationed in Tunisia.

The ALN used several Tunisian cities and villages near the border as bases to train their units (katibas), and smuggle weapons to the inside of the country.

These bases included Ghardimaou, Sakiet Sidi Youssef, El Kef, Tajerouine, Thala, Thélepte, Gafsa and Kasserine.

Confronted with a situation which became more and more delicate as days passed, the French Army searched for more and more complicated solutions to the increasing numbers of weapons deliveries from Tunisia ever since the country became independent in 1956.

The main goal of the French army became the interception and destruction of all weapons which traversed the Morice line, which spanned 460 kilometers, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sahara.

On demand, light support aircraft detachments would be sent, armed with North American T-6 Texans, or heavy ones with naval Corsairs could be supplied from the airbases of Bône and Tébessa.

The forces disposed by the National Liberation Army (ALN) around La Calle, Souk Ahras and the Ouenza iron mine, from its base in the East, were three battalions each composed of three katibas of 250 to 300 men.

[7] In the centre of the French dispositif, between Montesquieu and Morsott, where previously less pressure was exercised, the very vigilant 14th RCP and the 16th regiment of dragoons prevented any crossing, in particular during an offensive in the region by the ALN near Aïn Beïda which put 250 FLN combatants out of action.

These attempts, far from the training camps in the north were no longer pursued by the ALN after further successful interceptions by the 3rd RPC and 4th REI in Jebel Onk on April 2, 1958.

This Second Battle of Souk Ahras took place in the Jebel of EI-Mouadjène, and included heated melee between Algerians and the 9th RCP of colonel Bouchoud.