Tunisia's military Chief of Staff, General Rachid Ammar announced his retirement on Monday night, sparking further debate on the country's security situation.

Ammar's announcement was aired by private Ettounsiya TV channel, during which the chief of staff, who was criticized for the army's inability to counter terrorism, said he has submitted his resignation to President Moncef Marzouki and his retirement had been overdue.

He pointed out that Tunisia is facing three major threats, smuggling, terrorism and organized crime, noting that military security could not face these threats on its own, as it lacked a specialized intelligence agency.

Ammar said that the country has become a homeland for Jihadists, who were getting trained here before travelling to Mali or other Jihadist battle grounds.

He urged citizens to provide information to the army and security forces to help them carry out their work.