Troops clash with Islamists

Published on 20/03/2013 00:00

TROOPS in Tunisia clashed with Islamist militants yesterday near the border with Algeria, a ­security source said.

The Tunisian army is hunting al-Qaeda linked fighters in the area, suspected of smuggling weapons to fellow Islamists.

Tunisia is struggling both economically and politically, with tensions high between Islamists and their secular opponents, two years after the overthrow of the authoritarian leader Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in a popular uprising.

The Islamist-led government is struggling to restore stability following the assassination of left-wing opposition figure Chokri Belaid last month, which provoked widespread unrest.

The security source said yesterday’s clash took place in the north-west town of Tajrouin, in Kef province, between the army and six members of a “terrorist group”. There were no immediate reports on casualties.

The source said the militants were Salafists, who adhere to a puritanical interpretation of Islam, but did not specify their nationalities.