Tunisian forces kill 21 Islamist militants during border town attack

Tunisian security forces killed 21 Islamist militants who attacked a military barracks in a town near the Libyan border on Monday, a joint statement by the defense and interior ministries was quoted by Radio Mosaique FM as saying.

Earlier on Monday, clashes broke out between Tunisian forces and a group of militants who attacked police and army posts in Ben Guerdane.

The heavy fighting also left four civilians dead, according to the joint statement.

Six other militants were arrested after they were wounded, it added.

"The situation is under control," said Yasser Mosbah, the spokesperson of the Interior Ministry.

The North African country has witnessed several major terrorist attacks since last year.

• In March 2015, an Islamic State (IS) claimed attack on Bardo Museum, in Tunis, killed 22 people, most of them foreign tourists.

• On June 26, 2015, a 23-year-old student attacked the Marhaba hotel in Sousse with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing 38 foreign tourists, mainly British nationals, and injuring 39 others.

• Twelve people were killed and 20 others injured in November 2015 in a suicide bombing targetting a bus carrying presidential security guards.

The IS also claimed responsibility for the June and November attacks.
 [Xinhua]
7/3/16