Nigeria, Oct. 26 -- Algeria's upper house of parliament has approved deploying troops to Niger to protect its energy facilities.

The country's Council of Nations approved the deployment during an emergency session on Sunday, while the lower house is expected to hold a session on Monday.

If the deployment is approved in the lower parliament, it means the country is highly likely to deploy troops to protect its facilities located along the border area in the north of Niger, particularly the Kafra oil region and other energy facilities linked to Algeria's state-owned energy company Sonatrach.

If approved, it would also be the first mission outside Algeria's borders since the 1973 War between Israel and several Arab countries.

The vote ca...