CAIRO — Tunisia has reported the presence of an Al Qaida-based
insurgency group that is targeting foreign diplomats.
Officials said the insurgency group was aligned with Al Qaida. They said
the group was organized by the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call, based
in Algeria and which merged with Al Qaida in September 2006.
Tunisian Interior Minister Rafik Belhadj Kacem said security forces have
tracked and killed several members of the Islamic insurgency cell, Middle East Newsline reported. Kacem
later said the operatives were found with details of embassies and diplomats based
in Tunis.
"During the investigation, [police] found images of the sites of some
foreign embassies," Kacem said. "They also confiscated documents containing
a few names of foreign diplomats living in Tunisia, and a quantity of
explosives."
Kacem's remarks on Jan. 13 represented the first acknowledgement by
Tunisia of an insurgency movement. Over the last 10 days, Tunisia
said security forces battled a "criminal gang" on Dec. 23 and Jan. 3 and
killed 14 gunmen.
The interior minister said the insurgency group was formed by six
Salafist operatives who entered Tunisia from Algeria. Kacem said authorities
tracked the cell until army and security forces were ordered to attack. He
said the cell was comprised of 27 operatives.
Twelve members of the cell were killed, Kacem said. The rest were
captured. He said that with the exception of a Mauritanian, all of the cell
members were Tunisians.
Kacem, in remarks reported by the official TAP news agency, said foreign
intelligence agencies have been investigating the insurgency cell. He did
not elaborate.
Islamic sources have confirmed a Salafist cell in Tunisia. Last week, a
group called Tawhid and Jihad Youth in Tunisia declared a holy war against
Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
