A Tunisian soldier has been killed and three others were wounded in a mine blast in the restive Kasserine region, the defense ministry said Saturday, in an attack claimed by al-Qaeda-linked extremists.
The mine exploded Friday on Mount Chambi, in Kasserine, where the army has conducted search operations since 2012 to hunt down jihadists linked both to al-Qaeda and ISIS extremist group, the ministry said.
The area which borders Algeria – a “closed military zone” since 2014 – is considered to be a bastion of Okba Ibn Nafaa, a local affiliate of al-Qaeda in ISIS Maghreb (AQIM).
Okba Ibn Nafaa claimed responsibility for the attack, SITE Intelligence Group reported late Friday.
It said an anti-armored improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated targeting Tunisian soldiers but did not specify casualties, the monitoring group said.
The attack which the defense ministry said killed a 26-year-old soldier came days after officials said security forces had shot dead a suspected extremist in the Kef mountains further north.
Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has experienced multiple extremist attacks that have kilRead More – Source
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