Religious extremist shot dead in Tunisia

Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-01 22:12:05|Editor: Jiaxin
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TUNIS, April 1 (Xinhua) -- An extremist element was shot dead by Tunisian security forces in Kasserine province in centre west Tunisia, announced the Ministry of the Interior on Sunday.

The operation has been conducted for 72 hours in the perimeter of the Salloum mountain in Kasserine, following information gathered from intelligence service, about suspicious movements of an armed terrorist group.

The extremist element killed is one of the "big heads" of the jihadist movement called "Jund Al-Khilaf," which made allegiance to the organization of the Islamic State.

"This operation is an extension of a large preventive operation, recently carried out by the special units of the National Guard," said the ministry in a statement.

A machine gun, five loader boxes, ammunition and a sum of money in Tunisian currency were seized in the operation.

The Ministry of the Interior said the sweep operation is underway to track other jihadists, members of this armed group, knowing that other elements, without revealing the number, were injured by bullets.

While waiting for the official announcement of the extremist identity, who was killed last night in Kasserine, some local media reveal that it is Chawki Fakraoui, one of the leaders of "Jund Al-Khilafa."

According to the Tunisian press, this jihadist was involved in a series of attacks on Tunisian territory, including ambushes targeting security agents and storming the home of former interior minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou.

KEY WORDS: Tunisia
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