World

Two Jet Skiers Breach Border; Algerian Coastguard Shot Them Dead

When two visitors jet skiing in Morocco went into the maritime border between two Mediterranean countries, the Algerian coastguard shot them dead.

According to a witness, Bilal Kissi and Abdelali Merchouer, both French-Moroccan dual nationals, came under fire after taking a wrong turn off the seaside town of Saidia on Morocco’s northeast tip.

Smail Snabe, a third French-Moroccan male, was apprehended by the Algerian coastguard and hauled before a prosecutor on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, there were four men in the group, all of whom were riding jet skis.

“We got lost, but we kept going until we found ourselves in Algeria”, said Mohamed Kissi.

“We knew we were in Algeria because a black Algerian dinghy came towards us and the people on board fired at us”, he explained.

“I’m glad I wasn’t hit, but they killed my brother and a friend. They also detained my other friend”, he continued.

“Five bullets hit my brother and my friend. My other friend was hit by a bullet”, Kissi added.

“We got lost and ran out of fuel”, he explained, adding that he was picked up by the Moroccan navy and returned to the Saidia.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of rising tensions between Algeria and Morocco, which are worsened by their rivalry for the disputed area of Western Sahara.

The border between the two North African countries has been blocked since 1994, and Algiers cut ties with Rabat in 2021 after accusing Morocco of hostile acts, which Morocco dismissed as completely unjustified.

On Thursday, Moroccan government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas declined to comment on the reported shooting of the jet skiers, stating only that it was a matter for the judiciary.

Algeria made no immediate comment.

Also read: Grant Shapps Succeeds Ben Wallace As New Defence Minister Of United Kingdom

Spriha Rai

Recent Posts

JP Nadda Slams Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Match-Fixing’ Claims As ‘Desperation Of Losing’ Polls

Rahul Gandhi's opinion piece appeared in a national daily and sparked political uproar. Opposition parties…

12 hours ago

Poverty In India Reduced Via Tangible Boost In Household Living Standards, Incomes

In 2022–23, poverty under the revised $3.00 line stood at just 5.25 per cent in…

12 hours ago

Chhattisgarh: Seven Maoists Killed In Indravati National Park Operation

Five Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district,…

13 hours ago

Carney Invites Modi To G7 Summit, Highlights India’s Global Supply Chain Role

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the most populous country, with the fifth-largest economy, must…

13 hours ago

RBI Frontloads Rate Cuts To Boost Growth Amid Low Inflation: Crisil

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has frontloaded its rate cuts to support economic growth,…

14 hours ago

PM Modi Urges Global Action On Coastal Resilience At Nice Summit

PM Narendra Modi on Saturday called for urgent global action to build infrastructure that can…

14 hours ago