TUNIS: Tunisia faces a growing jihadist threat in the mountainous region near the border with Algeria where several soldiers have been killed battling militant Islamists, the defence ministry said yesterday.
The presidency on Wednesday declared Mount Chaambi, as well as some surrounding areas including the mountains of Sammama, Salloum and Mghilla, “zones closed for military operations”.
Defence ministry spokesman Toufik Rahmouni yesterday said the decision was prompted by the “growing number of threats made by terrorist organisations based in the area” and was designed to contain and limit their activities.
“We’ve noticed that some of the terrorists are no longer just holed up in Mount Chaambi but are travelling to mountains nearby,” Rahmouni told reporters. He said the security operations under way in the region were taking place with the cooperation of the Algerian army.
AFP
