Protesters Clash In Tunisia After The President Fires The Prime Minister And Suspends The Parliament

 

Daily Mail: Protesters clash in Tunisia after president FIRES the prime minister and suspends parliament following Covid protests - sparking accusations of a 'coup d'etat' 

* Clashes erupted between rival supporters outside Tunisia's parliament in capital Tunis on Monday morning 

* Soldiers blockaded the assembly in the early hours and police later stormed Al Jazeera's offices in Tunis 

* President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days Sunday

* It came after mass protests against the government's handling of the pandemic, with death toll over 18,000 Street clashes erupted outside Tunisia's army-barricaded parliament on Monday, the day after the president suspended parliament and fired the prime minister following protests against the government's handling of the pandemic. 

President Kais Saied sacked Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days on Sunday, plunging the young democracy into a constitutional crisis. 

It was a move which appeared to be backed by the army but was labelled a coup by foes including influential Islamists.  

Read more .... 

More News On The Unrest In Tunisia 

Clashes erupt outside parliament after Tunisian president ousts PM, suspends legislature -- France 24  

Tunisia: President dismisses PM Mechichi, freezes parliament -- DW  

Tunisia's president fires prime minister, freezes parliament -- UPI  

Tunisia's PM sacked after violent Covid protests -- BBC  

Violence in Tunisia: President accused of 'coup' as tensions escalate over parliament's suspension -- FOX News/AP Violent protests in Tunisia over the economy, virus spread -- France 24  

Tunisia’s young democracy is rocked as president sacks parliament amid mounting Covid crisis -- CNBC  

Tunisian health minister fired over Covid-19 surge -- France 24  

Tunisia on edge as president suspends parliament, fires PM -- France 24

Violent Protests Hit Tunisia For The Fourth Day In A Row

 

France 24: Rioters in Tunisia clash with security forces for third night 

Clashes broke out for a third consecutive night on Sunday in several Tunisian cities, pitting stone-throwing youths against security forces despite a tight lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus. 

Tunisian authorities said on Monday that more than 600 people had been arrested during consecutive nights of disturbances in the capital and other cities.  

The unrest comes amid a nationwide anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed since Thursday – a decade to the day since dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali fled from power. 

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 More News On The Unrest In Tunisia 

Violent youth protests hit Tunisia amid economic turmoil -- AP 

Tunisia arrests over 600, deploys army after violent protests -- DW 

Tunisia: Protests over moribund economy spread to a dozen cities -- Al Jazeera 

Young Tunisians protest for third night amid hardship -- BBC 

Tunisia deploys army to help quell days-long unrest -- Al Jazeera

Tunisians Go To The Polls Today

Al Jazeera: Tunisia: Voting ends in presidential runoff

The vote is Tunisia's second presidential election since the 2011 revolution.

Tunis, Tunisia - Polls have closed in Tunisia's runoff presidential contest which saw media magnate Nabil Karoui take on conservative lawyer Kais Saied.

The two self-styled "outsider" candidates delivered a shock to the Tunisian political establishment when they came in a the top two of 26 candidates during the first round of the election held on September 15.

A first exit poll is expected to be published at 8pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Sunday.

The turnout was at 39.2 percent at 15:30 local time, according to Isie (Independent High Authority for Elections).

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More News On Today's Tunisian Presidential Election

Tunisia election: Nabil Karoui and Kais Saied vie for presidency -- BBC
Tunisians vote for new president in runoff election -- Reuters
Changing Tunisia 'for the better': Millions head to the polls to choose a new president -- Middle East Eye

Islamists Claim Victory In Tunisian Parliamentary Elections

France 24: Islamists and jailed tycoon both claim victory in Tunisian parliamentary election

Tunisia’s moderate Islamist party appeared to be heading for victory in parliamentary elections, according to polling agencies, though the rival party of a jailed populist tycoon also claimed to come out on top of Sunday’s voting.

The election is seen as important for the country’s economic and social stability and as a bellwether for the upcoming presidential runoff between detained magnate Nabil Karoui and an independent law professor supported by the Islamists.

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More News On Today's Parliamentary Elections In Tunisia

Islamists, jailed tycoon claim Tunisian parliament victory -- AP
Tunisian Islamist party says it won parliamentary election -- Reuters
Heart of Tunisia party claims victory in parliamentary election -- Reuters
Tunisia parliamentary vote: Exit poll shows Ennahdha in the lead -- Al Jazeera
Tunisia completes second parliamentary elections since revolution -- Al Jazeera
Voting in Tunisia ends in uncertainty and discontent -- DW
Split vote complicates government formation after Tunisia election -- Reuters
Tunisian exit polls analysed -- France 24

Tunisia Election: Two Non-Establishment Candidates Claim Lead

Reuters: Tunisian establishment stunned as outsiders claim election win

TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian voters appear to have up-ended their nation’s politics in Sunday’s presidential election, rejecting established leaders for two outsiders with 39% of votes counted.

Kais Saied, a conservative law professor, and Nabil Karoui, a media magnate held in detention since last month, have an apparently solid lead over a moderate Islamist candidate and seem set to advance to a runoff vote next month.

Eight years after Tunisians staged the first of the Arab Spring revolutions to overthrow autocratic rule, Sunday’s vote represents a sharp rebuke of democratically elected governments that struggled to improve living standards or end graft.

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Update #1: Outsiders claim first round wins in Tunisia polls (France 24)
Update #2: Tunisian election upset as early polls place Saied and Karoui out front (Middle East Eye)

WNU Editor: The official results will be released tomorrow.

Did The U.A.E. Try To Organize A Coup In Tunisia?

Ousted Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem [Agenzia Nova/Twitter]

Middle East Monitor: Source: Dismissed Tunisia interior minister planned coup with help of UAE

Ousted Tunisian Interior Minister Lotfi Brahem planned a coup d’état in coordination with the UAE intelligence services, Le Monde Afrique revealed yesterday.

The article by the editor Nicolas Beau, revealed that Brahem “made a mistake by betting on his new Emirati friends that he will become the first player in Tunisia thanks to their support.”

Beau said in his article that it is absurd to think that the sinking of migrants’ ship off the Tunisian Qirqneh island coast was behind Brahem’s dismissal.

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WNU Editor: With the exception of Le Monde Afrique and Middle East Monitor .... no one else is covering this story.

More News On Reports That The U.A.E. Tried To Organize A Coup In Tunisia

Tunisia 'probes UAE-backed coup plot by sacked minister' -- New Arab
Tunisia Thwarts Alleged UAE-Backed Coup, Sacks Interior Minister -- Morocco World News
Tunisia: Army Supreme Council meet after failed coup attempt -- Middle East Monitor
Protests in Tunisia against UAE-backed coup attempt -- Middle East Monitor

Protests Resume In Tunisia

Reuters: Violent protests resume in Tunisia after two days of calm

TUNIS (Reuters) - Violent protests erupted again on Sunday in two areas of the capital Tunis and another town after a relatively calm two days, the latest protests in the country against austerity measures.

After nearly a week of at times violent protests, police used tear gas against dozens of young protesters in the Ettadamen district of Tunis in renewed demonstrations over a tax hike.

A Reuters witness saw youths around 20 years old throwing stones at police cars and setting fire to tires before security forces drove them back with tear gas.

Witnesses told Reuters that violent protests were also taking place in Kram district in the capital.

Protesters in Feriana city near the Algerian border tried to cut off roads and police were chasing protesters in the streets of the city and firing gas bombs.

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More News On The Protests In Tunisia

Police use tear gas on protesters in Tunisia, reports say -- BBC
Fresh protests in Tunisia on anniversary of Arab Spring uprising -- DW
Tunisians Rally Against Austerity Measures, Deride Concessions -- Bloomberg
Tunisia protests: Reforms announced amid new rallies -- BBC News
Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution commemorations clash with anti-government protests -- The National
Mass protests spread to 10 cities in Tunisia; what's happening in cradle of Arab Spring? -- International Business Times
Tunisia's Government Pledges Improvements After Protests -- New York Times
Seven Years Later, Tunisia Still Stands Apart -- STRATFOR
Tunisia, shaken by protests, marks 7 years since revolution -- PBS NewsHour
Why are Tunisians protesting? -- Youssef Cherif, Al Jazeera

Unrest In Tunisia Continues To Grow -- News Updates January 11, 2018

DW: Tunisia hit by third night of violent protests

Tunisians have taken to the streets of several cities including the capital in a third night of violent protests. The government has vowed to crack down.

More than 300 people were arrested and nearly 50 police officers wounded overnight on Wednesday in continued unrest in Tunisia over price hikes and austerity measures, the interior ministry said.

In the town of Thala, located near the border with Algeria, protestors torched the region's national security headquarters, prompting police forces to retreat and authorities to deploy soldiers.

Peaceful demonstrations erupted last week, but turned violent on Monday and Tuesday as they spread to more than 20 towns including in the suburbs of the capital, Tunis. Fresh clashes were reported across several towns for a third night on Wednesday.

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Unrest In Tunisia Continues To Grow -- News Updates January 11, 2018

Tunisia unrest: Arrests, clashes persist amid price rises -- AP
Tunisia hit by new anti-austerity protests -- BBC
Tunisia deploys army, makes 300 arrests as violent unrest persists -- Reuters
Protests hit Tunisia for third night as PM warns of clampdown -- Reuters
Tunisia protests: Hundreds arrested after fourth night of unrest -- CNN
Third night of unrest in Tunisia as hundreds arrested -- AFP
Tunisia deploys troops countrywide following protests -- Anadolu Agency
'You Can't Survive Anymore': Tunisia Protests Rising Prices and Taxes -- New York Times
Tunisia protests: authorities accused of indiscriminate crackdown -- The Guardian
Tunisia protests: What's at stake? -- Euronews

Tunisia Confirms Reports That It Is Permitting U.S. Drones To Use Its Bases To Monitor The Islamic State In Libya

A road sign shows the direction of Libya near the border crossing at Dhiba, Tunisia April 11, 2016. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

Reuters: Tunisia confirms U.S. drones over Libyan border, monitor Islamic State

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has said U.S. surveillance drones are flying over the Tunisian-Libyan border to ward of attacks by Islamic State, after lawmakers called on his government to clarify U.S. reports on such a mission.

In Tunisia, any U.S. military presence on its soil is a sensitive topic. Opponents say it would be a breach of sovereignty. Last month U.S. government sources said U.S. surveillance drones had begun flying into Libya from a Tunisian air base.

But Essebsi, in a television interview broadcast late on Tuesday, said the measure was needed to avoid cross-border attacks by militants such as an Islamic State assault on the Tunisian town of Ben Guerdan in March.

The drones being used were unarmed, Essebsi said, and in a repeat of previous denials, added there was no U.S. base in Tunisia.

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Update #1: Tunisia president says US drones fly over Libya border (AA)
Update #2: Tunisia: US military is using our military bases (Middle East Monitor)

WNU Editor: I guess the Tunisian government decided that it would be best to come clean right now.

Political Crisis In Tunisia

Al Jazeera: Tunisian parliament votes to dismiss PM Habib Essid

Members of Tunisia's parliament vote Prime Minister Habib Essid out of office 18 months after his appointment.

Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid has been ousted after overwhelmingly losing a vote of confidence in parliament.

In power for a year and a half, Essid's opponents said he had failed to tackle the country's economic and security problems.

A total of 118 members of parliament voted late on Saturday to unseat Essid; three voted for him to stay at the helm; and 27 abstained.

The results were largely expected, with several ruling coalition party members declaring ahead of the session that they were not going to renew their confidence in the prime minister.

Earlier on Saturday, Essid, 67, had told parliament he knew he would be voted out.

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More News On Tunisia's Political Crisis

Tunisia lawmakers vote to dismiss prime minister -- Reuters
Tunisian prime minister Habib Essid sacked by parliament -- AP
Tunisia parliament votes to sack PM Habib Essid -- BBC
Tunisian PM Habib Essid loses confidence vote -- AFP
Tunisia Lawmakers Fire Premier Essid Over Economic Concerns -- Bloomberg
Tunisian PM Habib Essid loses confidence vote amid fears of heightened political uncertainty -- ABC News Online

Tunisia Declares A Nationwide Curfew After Days Of Protests And Rioting Over Unemployment And The Economy

Al Jazeera: Tunisia declares curfew after days of violent protests

Protests over unemployment rates and the economy had intensified and spread to several cities including the capital.

Tunisia has declared a nationwide curfew after days of protests and rioting over jobs and economic conditions, the interior ministry announced .

Protests over unemployment in the country, which started in the western Kasserine province, intensified and spread to other parts of the country on Thursday.

Solidarity rallies were held in cities including Tunis, Sidi Bouzid and Gafsa, with several reports of suicide attempts as frustration over the lack of jobs boiled over.

A policeman was reportedly killed when demonstrators overturned his car in the town of Feriana.

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More News On Tunisia Declaring A Nationwide Curfew

Tunisia protests: Government imposes curfew over jobs unrest -- BBC
Tunisia imposes nationwide curfew following four days of unrest -- France 24
Tunisia Sets Nationwide Curfew Amid Growing Unrest -- NYT/AP
Nationwide curfew clamped in Tunisia after violence spreads over unemployment -- IBTimes
Tunisian Police, Rioters Clash in More Job Protests -- VOA
Tunisia declares nationwide curfew after protests -- Al Arabiya
Tunisia declares nighttime curfew following violent protests -- Al Bawaba
Social unrest prompts curfew in Tunisia -- DW
Tunisia's disillusioned youth -- DW

Tunisian President Declares State Of Emergency After 12 Presidential Guards Killed In Bomb Attack

Reuters: At Least 12 Dead in Attack on Tunisia Military Bus

TUNIS — At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday after an explosion tore through a bus full of Tunisian presidential guards in an attack one source said was probably carried out by a bomber detonating his explosives in the vehicle.

Ambulances rushed wounded from the scene and security forces closed off streets around Mohamed V Avenue, one of the major streets in the capital Tunis and where the charred wreckage of the bus lay not far from the interior ministry.

More News On Today's Terror Attack In Tunisia

Blast targeting Tunisia presidential guard bus kills 12 -- AFP
12 killed as blast targets bus in Tunisian capital -- VOA
The Latest: Tunisia's Islamist Party Denounces Bus Attack -- AP
Deadly explosion hits presidential guard bus in Tunis -- Al Jazeera
Tunisia to declare state of emergency after Tunis bus bombing: ministry -- Reuters
State of Emergency Declared in Tunisia After 12 Killed in Bus Attack -- VOA

Tunisia Declares A State Of Emergency

Reuters: Tunisia's president declares state of emergency after hotel attack

Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a state of emergency on Saturday, saying the Islamist militant attack on a beach hotel that killed 38 foreigners had left the country "in a state of war".

Last week's attack, three months after the deadly Islamist assault on the Bardo museum in Tunis, has shocked the North African country emerging into a democracy following its 2011 "Arab Spring" uprising.

Tunisia's emergency laws temporarily give the government more executive flexibility, hand the army and police more authority, and restrict certain rights such as those dealing with public assembly and detention.

More News On Tunisia Declaring A State Of Emergency

Tunisia imposes state of emergency after deadly beach attack -- AP
Tunisia beach attack: State of emergency declared -- BBC
Tunisia imposes state of emergency week after deadly beach attack -- Washington Post
Tunisian President declares emergency: New terror attack would cause 'collapse' -- CNN
Tunisia Declares State of Emergency After Beach Attack -- VOA
Tunisia's president declares state of emergency following terrorist attack -- The Guardian
Tunisia Calls 30-Day State of Emergency After Beach Attack -- Bloomberg

Tunisian Soldier Shot Dead After Killing Seven of His Colleagues

Reuters: Tunisian soldier shot dead after killing seven in army base shooting spree

A Tunisian soldier opened fire at a military base in the capital on Monday, killing seven colleagues and wounding 10 others before being shot dead himself, according to the army which said the shooter had "family problems".

What exactly triggered the shooting at the Bouchoucha base in Tunis was not immediately clear, but the incident alarmed residents in the capital city still on edge after an attack in March by Islamist gunmen on the Bardo national museum.

When gunfire erupted on Monday morning, police evacuated a nearby school, as locals feared they may be under attack.

"A soldier opened fire and killed seven others, he was then killed. Ten others are injured," army spokesman Bel Hassen Ouslati told reporters.

Update: Soldier in Tunis Fires on Colleagues in Deadly Attack -- NYT

WNU Editor: Tunisian authorities are saying that this is not a terrorist attack .... but considering how volatile the entire region is .... it is probably to early to make such a judgement.

Tunisian President: 3rd Person Took Part In The Museum Massacre And Is On The Run

CNN: Tunisia museum attack: President says 3rd person took part, on the run

Tunis (CNN)Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi confirmed that a third person took part in last week's Bardo museum terror attack in an interview Sunday with French TV Station iTele.

"There were for certain three terrorists," Essebsi said. "There is one on the run. He will not get far."

Previously two suspects had been identified -- Yassine Labidi and Saber Khachnaou -- though it wasn't immediately clear if they were the pair killed at the museum by Tunisian security forces.

He said Yassine was "known to the security services, he was flagged and monitored," but not known or being followed for anything special.

More News On The Search For A Third Gunman Who Took Part In The Tunisian Museum Massacre

Tunisian president says hunt on for 3rd man in museum attack -- AP
Tunisian president says third museum gunman on the run -- Reuters
Tunisia launches manhunt for third museum attacker -- Al Jazeera
Third Tunis Bardo Museum attacker 'on the run' -- BBC
Third gunman on run after Tunis museum attack: president -- AFP
Third Bardo museum attacker 'on the run' -- Deutsche Welle
Footage of Tunisia terror attack shows gunmen bumping into visitor at entrance - before letting him go -- The Independent
Tunis museum attacks: police hunt third suspect -- The Guardian
Hunt for third Tunisia museum attacker -- USA Today
Tunisia Museum Attack: Third 'Aggressor' on the Run, President Essebsi Says -- NBC

Tunisia Bardo Museum Massacre: A News Roundup

Al Jazeera: Tunisia says museum attack plotters trained in Libya

Security chief reveals gunmen who killed 21 people in Tunis left country for training in neighbouring Libya in December.

The two gunmen who killed 21 people in an attack on foreign tourists at a museum in Tunisia's capital trained at a camp for fighters in Libya, the country's secretary of state for security said.

"They left the country illegally last December for Libya and they were able to train with weapons there," Rafik Chelly told the private AlHiwar Ettounsi television channel.

The two gunmen were named by authorities as Yassine Abidi and Hatem Khachnaoui and were killed in a security operation that followed the assault on the museum.

Tunisia Bardo Museum Massacre: A News Roundup

Islamic State says it killed tourists in Tunisia -- Reuters
Daesh claims responsibility for Tunisia attack -- Al Bawaba
Islamic State Claims Tunis Attack -- WSJ
ISIS claims deadly attack on Tunis museum -- News24
Tunisian official: 2 gunmen trained in Libya before attack -- AP
Official: 2 suspects in Tunisia museum attack got weapons training in Libya -- CNN
Tunisia Museum Attack: Two Gunmen Trained In Libyan Camps, Claims Tunisian Official -- IBTimes
Tunisian Official: Gunmen Trained in Libya Before Attack -- VOA
Tunisia says museum gunmen trained in Libya -- AFP
Nine arrested over deadly Tunisia museum attack -- Al Jazeera
Nine arrested over Tunis museum attack, as security is boosted -- Euronews
Tunisia: 23 Killed, 47 Injured in Bardo Museum Attack -- AllAfrica
Plans for leisurely visit in Tunisia turn to horror -- AP
How Will Tunisia Respond to the Bardo Museum Attack? -- Mischa Benoit-Lavelle, New Yorker
After Museum Attack, Tunisian Government's War On Terror Will Likely Garner Western Support -- IBTimes
The familiar roots of Tunisia's terrorist problem -- Laura Dean, Global Post
Tunisia attack an assault on tourism and Arab world’s ‘first democracy’ -- Euronews
Tunisia museum attack: Who’s behind it, what are their goals? -- RT
Who's Responsible for Tunis Museum Massacre? -- Jamie Dettmer, Daily Beast

Terror Attack At Tunisian Museum. 7 Tourists Killed. 30 Tourists Being Held As Hostages

BBC: Tunis attack: Gunmen kill tourists in museum raid

At least seven foreign tourists and a Tunisian have been killed after gunmen targeted a museum in the the Tunisian capital, officials say.

Tourists from several European countries were taken hostage, a local radio station reported.

The shooting happened at the Bardo Museum, which is next to the parliament building in central Tunis.

At the time of the attack deputies were discussing anti-terrorism legislation. Parliament has now been evacuated.

An interior ministry spokesman told Reuters that two militants were holed up inside the museum, surrounded by security forces.

More News On Today's Terror Attack In Tunisia

Gunmen take hostages at Tunisia museum -- CBS
Eight Tourists Killed in Attack on Tunisia’s Bardo Museum -- Bloomberg
Two Britons feared dead as eight killed in Tunisian museum attack: Around 30 more held hostage by three gunmen -- Daily Mail
Tourists killed in Tunisia museum attack -- Al Jazeera
Tunisia Parliament Hostages Update: Tourists Killed, Tunisian Forces Surround Militants At Bardo Museum -- IBTimes
Gunmen attack Tunisian parliament, kill eight tourists – government official -- Euronews/Reuters
At least 8 killed in Tunisia museum attack -- USA Today
Gunmen attack Tunisian parliament and nearby museum, killing several -- UPI
At least 8 killed, hostage situation as militants attack museum nr Tunisian parliament -- RT

Tunisians Vote In Landmark Presidential Elections

Tunisians Vote In Landmark Elections -- Al Jazeera

Tunisia electing president in runoff that presents a stark choice between the country's past and its post-uprising era.

Tunisians are going to the polls to freely elect their president for the first time in the country's history, rounding off an at times bumpy four-year transition from dictatorship.

The runoff on Sunday pits 88-year-old Beji Caid Essebsi, leader of the Nidaa Tounes party, against incumbent Moncef Marzouki, who held the post through an alliance with the moderate Islamist movement Ennahda.

Read more ....

More News On Tunisia's Presidential Election

Tunisians choose president in run-off elections -- BBC
Tunisia holds historic presidential runoff vote -- CBC/AP
Tunisians vote for new president in run-off elections -- UPI
Tunisians vote for post-revolution president -- AFP
Tunisians Head to Elect President in Runoff -- WSJ
Polls open in Tunisia’s landmark presidential election -- Euronews
Tunisians Vote in First Ever Democratic Presidential Run-Off: Reports -- Sputnik
Meet Tunisia’s two presidential contenders: Marzouki and Essebsi -- Al Arabiya

Is Tunisia ABout To Follow Egypt's Violent Path?

Echoes of Egypt: Secular-Islamist Tensions Rise in Tunisia -- Spiegel Online

Tunisia was the birthplace of the Arab Spring over two years ago. But growing frustration and violence have caused the chasm between secularists and Islamists to widen, leading many to fear political chaos like that gripping Egypt.

Mount Chaambi has been burning for four days now. At the foot of the mountain, in his house among the olive trees, Khaled Dalhoumi watches black smoke rise into the sky, as if Chaambi were a volcano.

On Friday, August 2, Dalhoumi woke to the distant sound of explosions. He went out his front door and saw bombs raining onto the mountains. Since then, he has heard shots and shelling at all hours, and at night the mountain is lit by the glow of massive forest fires. The mountain where Dalhoumi's father once mined for lead, and which has since been made a national park, has become a war zone. "It breaks my heart," he says.

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More News On The Unrest In Tunisia

Tunisian ruling party leader calls for non-partisan cabinet -- Reuters
Tunisia Ruling Party Leader Calls for Non-Partisan Cabinet -- Voice of America
New Tunis protest as president urges national unity govt -- International News
Tunisian secularists and Islamists in rival rallies, no clashes -- Reuters
Thousands stage rival rallies in Tunisia ahead of Westerwelle visit -- Deutsche Welle
Tunisians quickly losing faith in their government: poll -- Washhington Times
Tunisia bombs Islamist militants in mountain hideouts -- Reuters
Tunisia army strikes Islamists in rugged mountains -- FOX News/AFP

Tunisia Escalates It's War Against Islamist Militants

Tunisian soldiers gather near the border with Algeria around Mount Chaambi, western Tunisia August 2, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer

Tunisian Armed Forces Launch Air Strikes On Islamist Militants -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Tunisian armed forces launched air strikes against Islamist militants in the Mount Chaambi area near the Algerian border on Monday, an army source said.

The source also said several militants had been killed and four were arrested in the same region on Sunday. He gave no death toll.

Aircraft bombed caves in and around Mount Chaambi, where the military has been trying to track down Islamist militants since December, witnesses and the army source said.

The operations were launched in the same area where militants ambushed and killed eight soldiers last month in one of the deadliest attacks on Tunisian security forces in decades.

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Update: Tunisian Army Strikes Islamists on Border with Algeria -- Al Manar

My Comment: In this environment .... the political deadlock continues.