article_snippet: The desert cliffs around the town of Tataouine were once the backdrop for much of the 1977 classic, parts of which were filmed in Libya the year before.
article_snippet: The struggling town on the fringes of Sahara still draws a few fans of the movie but now finds The struggling town on the fringes of the Sahara part of a real conflict, as a way-station for jihadists crossing the Libyan border 60 miles to the east, according to CNN.
article_snippet: the area is vast and sparsely populated, with dozens of smugglers' tracks along which petrol, drugs and other contraband are smuggled across the frontier.
article_snippet: R2-D2 in the Tunisian desert during filming.
article_snippet: A valley near Tataouine.
highlights_snippet: Desert cliffs around town were once backdrop for much of 1977 classic .
  
highlights_snippet: On fringes of Sahara it still draws a few fans but is now part of real conflict .
  