Tunisia announces curfew in border town following militant attack

Tunisia announced on Monday a night-time curfew in Ben Guerdane on the border with Libya after militants staged attacks on a military barracks in the town, Tunisia news agency TAP reported.

The curfew will be enforced as of Monday 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. on both people and vehicles, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, heavy fighting broke out between Tunisian forces and a group of militants who attacked police and army posts in Ben Guerdane.

The clashes left 29 militants dead, according to the latest toll reported by Radio Mosaique FM.

Six other militants were arrested after they were wounded during the attacks.

The North African country has witnessed several major terrorist attacks since last year.

In March 2015, an Islamic State (IS) claimed attack on Bardo Museum, in Tunis, killed 22 people, most of them foreign tourists.

On June 26, 2015, a 23-year-old student attacked the Marhaba hotel in Sousse with a Kalashnikov rifle, killing 38 foreign tourists, mainly British nationals, and injuring 39 others.

Twelve people were killed and 20 others injured in November 2015 in a suicide bombing targetting a bus carrying presidential security guards.

The IS also claimed responsibility for the June and November attacks.

Source: Xinhua