Algiers  - Algeria has provided Mali with weapons, munitions and satellite navigation equipment to fight the terrorist group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, local media reported Friday.

According to El-Khabar daily, a convoy of 20 lorries of material was provided by the Algerian military to combat the group. A similar delivery is planned for Niger.

Algeria has stipulated to the recipients that the weapons be used not against Tuareg rebels but only against the al-Qaeda-linked group, which is active in the whole of northwest Africa.

The countries of the Sahel have signed an agreement for multilateral aid in the fight against terrorism from the international al-Qaeda network. (dpa)