News / North Africa

Tunisian security forces kill fugitive Daesh leader

Monday, 29 May 2017 1:05 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 29 May 2017 1:06 PM ]

This photo taken on March 19, 2015 shows a member of Tunisia's security forces standing guard as journalists gather at the visitors' entrance of the National Bardo Museum in Tunis, in the aftermath of an attack on foreign tourists by the Daesh Takfiri group. (Photo by AFP)

Tunisian security forces have managed to kill a fugitive commander of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group before he could carry out an attack during the holy month of Ramadan.

Tunisia’s Interior Ministry said on Monday that the suspect, who is yet to be identified, was killed during an operation Sunday night near the Algerian border.

The ministry said the National Guard members carried out the operation and killed the leading member of Daesh, who was described as “dangerous.”

It also elaborated that the suspect had been wanted on charges related to "terrorist operations," saying prosecutors had issued 11 arrest warrants for him since 2014.

Other sources identified the Daesh operative as Houssem Tlithi. The 20-year-old had been hiding in Mount Salloum, a stronghold of Takfiri terrorists in western Tunisia. The region is located near Mount Chambi, the site of a major attack in 2014, which saw 15 soldiers killed by terrorists.

The Interior Ministry said another suspect was also nabbed and wounded during the Sunday night operation. It said security forces had seized weapons, including a Kalashnikov assault rifle and material used to make explosive belts.

The ministry said the two suspects were planning to use the weapons and explosives in an attack during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Tunisia has seen several terrorist attacks targeting civilians and security forces since the 2011 revolution.

Tunisian forensics police inspect a presidential guard bus at the scene of a bomb attack in Tunis on November 25, 2015. (Photo by Reuters)

The attacks have also claimed the lives of 59 tourists and seriously affected government finances during the time of economic hardship.

The North African country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, after an attack in the capital Tunis killed 12 presidential guards. Daesh, which is mainly based in Iraq and Syria but has also gained a foothold in North Africa, claimed responsibility for the attack.

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