Special to WorldTribune.com

CAIRO — Islamists have formed patrols in Tunisia.

Tunisian sources said the Salafist movement has sponsored patrols amid nationwide unrest in the North African country.

The patrols, called security committees, were meant to protect Islamists and their property from attacks in wake of the assassination of a secular opposition leader on Feb. 6.

“They are directed to protect people and property,” Ansar Al Sharia, a Salafist group, said in a statement.

[On Feb. 16, thousands of Islamists marched through Tunis in support of the ruling Ennahda party. There were no incidents of violence.]

Salafist patrol members wear orange vests and travel by car and motorcycles. Ansar said the patrols, which take place in such cities as Kef, Mateur, Sfax, Sidi Bouzid and Tunis, include clubs rather than firearms.

So far, there have been no reports of clashes between the new Islamist
patrols with either opposition members or security forces. The Interior
Ministry, however, warned the Islamists that they should not try to replace police or the Army.

“Security forces alone have the right to maintain law and order and
protect citizens and their property, in cooperation with the national army,”
Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Tarrouche said. “As much as the ministry
praises the initiative of some citizens to protect their surroundings from
acts of violence, it also reminds that no one can replace the security
apparatus.”

Ansar said one of its members was arrested during a patrol in Tunis. The
group said police were searching for other Islamists.

Officials said Ansar was linked to the attack on the U.S. embassy in
Tunis in September 2012. They identified Seif Allah Ibn Hussein as the key
organizer in the strike, in which four people were killed.

  Ansar Al Sharia, Ennahda party, Khaled Tarrouche, Salafists patrolling nationwide to secure Islamist government in Tunisia, Seif Allah Ibn Hussein