Africa

Tunisian police kill seven militants, including senior commander

One policeman dies in one of the deadliest raids since Tunisian forces cracked down on the banned Islamist movement Ansar al-Sharia

Tunisian police stand guard in Raoued, a northern suburb of Tunis, in an attempt to arrest a group of suspected militants hiding there February 4, 2014. where seven Islamist militants and a Tunisian policeman were killed in a gun battle. Photograph: Anis Mili/Reuters
Tunisian police stand guard in Raoued, a northern suburb of Tunis, in an attempt to arrest a group of suspected militants hiding there February 4, 2014. where seven Islamist militants and a Tunisian policeman were killed in a gun battle. Photograph: Anis Mili/Reuters
Wed Feb 05 2014 - 01:00

Tunisian police killed seven Islamist militants, including a senior commander wanted for the assassination of two opposition leaders, after a clash outside Tunis where the armed group had stashed arms and bomb belts. The raid was one of the deadliest since Tunisian forces cracked down on the banned Islamist militant movement Ansar al-Sharia, whose leader declares allegiance to al-Qaeda, and which Washington lists as a foreign terrorist group.

Gun battles broke out late on Monday night when police surrounded a house in the Raoued suburb north of Tunis, leaving one police officer and seven militants dead, the interior ministry said, without naming the group.

Among those killed was Kamel Ghadghadi, a senior member of the Ansar al-Sharia, wanted for killing seven soldiers and for assassinating opposition leaders Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. Interior minister Lofti Ben Jeddou said Ghadghadi was among those killed. – (Reuters)