BEN GUERDANE, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's defense minister has visited an anti-jihadi fence that's being built on the country's border with Libya to stop Islamist militants from entering Tunisian territory.

Defense Minister Farhat Horchani inspected the first completed part of the 196-kilometer (122-mile) fence Saturday, which aims to counter the threat from jihadi militants and render the entire border impassable by vehicles. Horchani said the project came about with financial assistance from Germany and the U.S.

Military personnel and dozens of journalists were also given a tour of the defense structure, composed of sand alongside water-filled trenches and monitoring centers.

The fence initiative was announced last summer after two terrorist attacks in three months killed 59 foreign tourists and garnered world attention.