 The two southeastern jurisdictions — the 4th Military Region (Ouargla) and 6th Military Region (Tamanrasset) — were sparsely populated tracts of desert where a limited number of combat troops carried out patrols and manned small outposts.The Ouargla region assumed a measure of strategic importance after relations with Libya soured, but the military's main activities there and in the 6th Military Region are the construction and planting projects undertaken by conscript forces.The 6th Military Region was created in 1975 to cover the south.