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AT LEAST 28 jihadists, 10 members of the security forces and seven civilians were killed today in fighting in Tunisia near the Libyan border, the government said.
Tunisian forces killed 28 jihadists who attacked police and army posts near the Libyan border on Monday in a new spillover of violence.
Authorities ordered a nighttime curfew as troops deployed across the border town of Ben Guerdane to hunt for others involved in the coordinated pre-dawn attack.
It was the second deadly clash in the border area in less than a week as Tunisia battles to prevent the large number of its nationals who have joined the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Libya from returning to carry out attacks at home.
The jihadists have taken advantage of a power vacuum since the NATO-backed overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011 to set up bases in several areas of Libya, including the Sabratha area between Tripoli and the Tunisian border.
The government said that an army barracks and police and National Guard posts in Ben Guerdane came under simultaneous attack.
A soldier was also killed in the fighting and six wounded militants were captured, the defence ministry said.
Hospital official Abdelkrim Chafroud said a 12-year-old was among the dead civilians, and two security agents were also killed.
An AFP correspondent reported that schools and offices in Ben Guerdane were closed and troops had taken up position on rooftops across the town.
Residents were being urged to stay indoors even before the 7 pm (1800 GMT) start of the nighttime curfew.
Authorities closed the border crossings with Libya. They also closed the main road north to the rest of Tunisia, the correspondent said.
Prime Minister Habib Essid ordered the defence and interior ministers to head to Ben Guerdane to oversee operations against the jihadists.
Firefight
Last Wednesday, troops killed five militants in a firefight outside the town in which a civilian was also killed and a commander wounded.
Troops have been on alert in the border area following reports that militants had been slipping across since a US air strike on an IS training camp in Libya on 18 February killed dozens of Tunisian militants.
At least four of the five militants killed in last week’s firefight were Tunisians who had entered from Libya in a bid to carry out attacks in their homeland, the interior ministry said.
Deadly attacks by IS on foreign holidaymakers last year, which dealt a devastating blow to Tunisia’s tourism industry, are believed to have been planned from Libya.
Tunisia has built a 200-kilometre (125-mile) barrier that stretches about half the length of its border with Libya in an attempt to stop militants infiltrating.
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All the focus on Syria has distracted people from the fact that IS is now in Tunisia, Libya, Sinai in Egypt, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines. Stopping them is like playing whack-a-mole.
May I know where did Bangladesh come from and what do you know about this country? Have you ever been there or any other Asian country?
I was going to answer your first question but then you added two such stupid questions that it’s clear you’re not interested in the answer. Presumably your agenda is something along the lines of ‘only people who pass my test of knowledge of X country may comment on anything to do with it.’ Yawn.
You are one of those living in a small country like Ireland and never been outside of your town. You can keep your answer to yourself, because I know you know nothing pathatic lonely guy.
They really do hate their own more than us.
No they don’t.
“their own”, you are saying!? do you even know what you are talking about?
Religion of Peace at it again.
Against other Muslims, showing yet again that tarring all muslims with the same brush is thick
In their eyes they’re not Muslims. They’re something worse. Apostates. Fit for slaughter and subjugation.
Budget Travel are doing cheap deals, for summer breaks in Tunisia.
Sun, sand, sea, and slaughter.
Couldnt visit a nicer country and people, its a shame to see it degenerating in front of our eyes
Assumed it would be the Mormons causing trouble again till I saw the word jihad. If not for the constant reassurances that this sort of behaviour has nothing to do with Islam from NGOs and the like I might be led to believe that this carnage is fuelled by Muslim beliefs, in the manner those who keep conducting these attacks repeatedly tell us.
Islam was never a religion of peace. Islam is a religion of fighting. No one should believe that the war that we are raging is the war of the islamic state, it is a war of all Muslims, but the Islamic state is spearheading it. ——-Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, leader of ISIS, May 2104.
Kill the lot of them Jihadis..trying to turn Tunisia into a s*ithole just like Libya has been under their control.
Take note minister of justice…this is how its done,train,equip,arm and preposition elite units KNOWING they are coming and not whinging afterwards that they didnt give your commissioner “intelligence” in advance.
I blame SF for this.
Don’t be silly, maybe in Colombia or Spain
Can’t we all be friend s?
Tunisia..instead of hiding behind budget constraints,triple lock mechanisms,”smart policing”,political correctness dug almost 200k of real border and supplied their police and army with modern weaponry…thus,they won this one.feel stupid now francis??
The British, Americans and French just could nt wait to overthrow Gaddafi, now they have created a new base for the jihadists even closer to home.
Gaddafi could see it coming and they mocked and laughed at him…
have your say