Deadly bomb blasts target security forces in Tunisian capital
Deadly bomb blasts target security forces in Tunisian capital
A blast struck a security vehicle in a busy area of the Tunisian capital while a second attack targeted a police building in the al-Qarjani district of the city.
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The attacks targeted security forces in the capital [Getty]
Two explosions rocked the Tunisian capital on Thursday, both of which targeting security positions, according to The New Arab’s Arabic-language service.
The first blast struck a security vehicle in a busy area of the capital while the second attack targeted a police building in the al-Qarjani district of the city.
The Tunisian interior ministry said one police officer was killed in the attack.
"One of the two police officers wounded in the suicide attack this morning has died", interior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag said.
Body parts were seen strewn in the road around a police car on Habib Bourguiba avenue near the old city in Tunis, AFP reported.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has experienced multiple militant attacks that have killed dozens of members of the security forces and 59 foreign tourists.
The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when an IS-claimed suicide bombing in Tunis killed 12 presidential guards.
In February, a Tunisian court sentenced a group of men to prison, for their involvement in the mass murder of 60 people at hotels and tourist sites across the North African country.
Defendants stood trial for separate two terror attacks in 2015 which targeted tourists at the Bardo National Museum and a few months later at the Souse tourist resort.
Four suspects were sentenced to life in prison for their involvement in the Souse mass shooting, which left 38 people dead, mostly British tourists.
Five others were given sentences ranging from six months and six years for their involvement in the terror attack, while 17 were acquitted.
Three more Tunisians were handed life sentences for their role in the March 2015 Bardo National Museum massacre, which saw 21 foreign tourists and a Tunisian security guard shot dead by three gunmen.
Others linked to that case were given sentences between one to 16 years, while dozens were acquitted.
Both of the attacks were claimed by the Islamic State group and were said to be closely linked.
Tunisians made up a large component of the foreign fighters in IS, while the porous border with neighbouring Libya has also aided militants.
Tunisia saw a big hit to its vital tourism sector following the killings, with the UK only advising against "all but essential travel" to the North African country in 2017, when security was ramped up.
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