Tunisia: Military Hunts Militants Near Algerian Border
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Version 0 of 1. Tunisian forces launched air and ground strikes on Islamist militants near the border with Algeria on Friday after fierce overnight clashes in the area, which coincided with increased instability and political turmoil in Tunisia. Aircraft bombed caves in the Mount Chaambi area, where the military has been trying to track down a band of 15 to 20 Islamist militants since December, an army spokesman said Friday. The operation was launched in the same area where militants killed eight soldiers on Monday in one of the deadliest attacks on Tunisian security forces in decades. Tunisia’s Islamist-led government is grappling with instability and a mounting protest movement. The opposition, angered by the assassination of one of its leaders last week, wants the transitional Constituent Assembly dissolved. |