Tunisian security forces killed a commander in a terrorist group who detonated his suicide belt as he was shot during a raid against militants planning attacks during the holy month of Ramadan, officials said on Sunday.
Tunisia’s armed forces have been cracking down on militants allied to the self-styled Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s North Africa branch, especially since the country suffered four major attacks in the last two years, including two against foreign tourists.
“The clashes came on Sunday when national guard special forces raided a house where the group had been under surveillance for weeks, after communications about a possible attack were intercepted,” National Guard spokesman Col. Major Khelifa Chibani said.
Another militant was killed and three others arrested in the raid on a house in Sidi Bouzid, a town 200 km southwest of the capital, Tunis.
No details have been given on the potential attack, but Tunisia has been on alert since militant gunmen attacked the Sousse beach resort in 2015, killing more than 30 foreigners and badly damaging the vital tourist industry.
Another security source said the commander was an Algerian militant, but did not give his name.
The Okba Ibn Nafaa has mostly been based in remote Chaambi mountain range along the border with Algeria, where the army has been trying to flush them out for several years. Militants have in the past carried out raids on checkpoints and towns nearby.
