A Tunisian court has sentenced 41 militants to death over an attack that killed 15 soldiers on the border with Algeria in 2014, prosecutors said Saturday.
The sentences for the men, only two of whom are currently in custody, were delivered in the capital Tunis on Friday, spokesperson Sofiene Sliti told AFP.
The other 39 convicted remain at large, he said, adding that all of the those found guilty were linked to the Islamic State group.
Tunisian courts continue to issue death sentences despite no executions being carried out since 1991.
Tunisian courts continue to issue death sentences despite no executions being carried out since 1991.
The gun and rocket launcher assault on army positions in July 2014 left 15 troops dead in the Mount Chaambi area of the western Kasserine region that remains a hideout for militants.
The attack was the deadliest ever against the country’s army.
Tunisian armed forces have for the past six years carried out operations to track down wanted militants in the area, which was declared a closed military zone in 2014
Okba Ibn Nafaa, a Tunisia-based division of Al-Qaeda, is also present in the area.
Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has experienced an increase in jihadist attacks that have killed dozens of members of the security forces and at least 59 foreign tourists.
The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing in Tunis killed 12 presidential guards.
Six members of Tunisia’s security forces were killed Sunday (July 8,2018) in a “terrorist attack” near the border with Algeria, the interior ministry said, updating an earlier toll.
A national guard border patrol in the Ain Sultan area of the Jenduba border province “was hit in a landmine ambush that killed six agents”, the ministry said.
It said the attack took place at 11:45 am. Ministry spokesman General Sufyan al-Zaq said the blast was a “terrorist attack” and that assailants had “opened fire on security forces” after the mine exploded.
“Combing operations” were underway, said Zaq, who earlier told AFP that eight guards had been killed.
The attack, for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility, comes as Tunisia prepares for the summer tourist season.
Since its 2011 revolution, jihadist attacks in Tunisia have killed dozens of members of the security forces and 59 foreign tourists.
The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015 when a suicide bombing in Tunis claimed by the Islamic State group killed 12 presidential guards.
