Tunis: A senior leader of an Al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that has been blamed for a spate of violence in Tunisia was among five militants killed by security forces in a recent raid, an official said Saturday.
"The DNA test just confirmed that Mourad Gharsalli was shot dead yesterday (Friday)," presidential spokesman Moez Sinaoui wrote in a post on his Twitter account.
The interior ministry had previously said that five "terrorists" were gunned down on Friday in the central region of Gafsa.
Gharsalli, a 32-year-old Tunisian, was one of the leaders of the Okba Ibn Nafaa Brigades, the country's main jihadist group and one the authorities have accused of being behind several recent attacks.
Authorities have blamed the group for a series of attacks, including the March massacre at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis that killed 21 foreign tourists and a policeman. The Islamic State group has claimed that attack.
Tunisia has seen a surge in radical Islam since veteran president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in a 2011 revolution.
Dozens of members of the security forces have been killed since then in jihadist attacks.
"The DNA test just confirmed that Mourad Gharsalli was shot dead yesterday (Friday)," presidential spokesman Moez Sinaoui wrote in a post on his Twitter account.
The interior ministry had previously said that five "terrorists" were gunned down on Friday in the central region of Gafsa.
Authorities have blamed the group for a series of attacks, including the March massacre at the Bardo National Museum in Tunis that killed 21 foreign tourists and a policeman. The Islamic State group has claimed that attack.
Advertisement
Dozens of members of the security forces have been killed since then in jihadist attacks.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister Without Any Explanation Who Is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Pakistani Terrorist Behind 9/11 Attacks Young Tunisian Behind "Smart Wheelchairs" Are In Line To Win Big Prize 150 mg Semen In Kolkata Doctor's Body, Suspect Gang-Rape: Parents To Court Vandalism At Kolkata Hospital Where Doctor Was Raped, Tear Gas Fired 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Taylor Swift To Return To Stage For Eras Tour After Vienna Attack Plot "140 Crore Indians Worried About Safety Of Hindus In Bangladesh": PM Modi G20 Nations Couldn't Do, India Did, Met Paris Accord Target Before Time: PM Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.