Tunis: "Around 20 terrorists attacked a checkpoint and killed four police. They opened fire on the checkpoint and then they fled with the police weapons," the spokesman said.
Local radio reported a separate groups of militants had raided houses near Kef, also near the Algerian frontier, holding residents at gunpoint to steal food and supplies before fleeing into the mountains.
Tunisia is waging a campaign against Islamist militants, who mostly target security forces. Since April last year, thousands of soldiers have been deployed to drive out militants from the Chaambi range bordering Algeria.
Fighters took refuge in the Chaambi range after fleeing the French military intervention in Malilast year.
Last year, Okba Ibn Nafaa killed least 14 soldiers in attacks on two checkpoints, the deadliest strike on Tunisia's armed forces ever. The group's name refers to an early Muslim who led the Islamic conquest of the Maghreb.
Around 20 al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants attacked a checkpoint in Tunisia's central Kasserine region, killing four police officers and stealing their weapons, the government said on Wednesday.
Okba Ibn Nafaa, a small brigade of fighters operating in mountains along the Algerian border, were behind Tuesday night's attack, interior ministry spokesman Mohamed Ali Aroui told reporters.
Tunisia recently completed its transition to democracy after the 2011 uprising against autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, but security remains a key worry due to the emergence of hardline Islamist groups.
Local radio reported a separate groups of militants had raided houses near Kef, also near the Algerian frontier, holding residents at gunpoint to steal food and supplies before fleeing into the mountains.
Advertisement
Fighters took refuge in the Chaambi range after fleeing the French military intervention in Malilast year.
Advertisement
© Thomson Reuters 2015
COMMENTS
Advertisement
US Military Says It Killed Leader Of Al Qaeda-Aligned Group In Syria Al Qaeda-Inspired Terror Cell Busted, Wanted To Create 'Khilafat' In India Tunisian President Sacks Prime Minister Without Any Explanation 9 Dead, 2,800 Hurt As Pagers Explode Across Lebanon, Hezbollah Blames Israel "Wear Proper Undergarments": Delta Airlines' New Memo For Flight Attendants IndiGo Flight Tailstrike Leaves Huge Dent During Take-Off From Delhi Airport Mohana Singh Becomes First Woman Fighter Pilot In LCA Tejas Fighter Fleet How Google Search Reunited Two Senior Citizens With Their Families Russian Group Behind Fake Kamala Harris Hit-And-Run Story: Microsoft Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.