Four Tunisian soldiers killed in explosive device blast

Four members of the Tunisian armed forces were killed when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded while they were patrolling the mountainous area near the border with Algeria. Mghilla, the mountainous area where the attack took place, is one of the mountains that serve as a safe haven for terrorists operating in the country, which is why the military presence in the area is frequent.

The attack was reported by defence ministry spokesman Mohammed Zekri. Tunisian troops were reportedly in the area following a warning from the governorate of Kasserine of a possible terrorist presence in the area. This is not uncommon, as terrorists have often carried out attacks in this extremely impoverished and difficult to access area.

The Tunisian parliament on Wednesday condemned the attack on the country's armed forces and called on the population to "support and defend the country's institutions, of which the armed and security forces are a part". The country is experiencing a complicated political situation, which is increasing stability and aggravating the country's economic problems, and is compounded by the lack of tourism due to the coronavirus. This cocktail creates a climate prone to the radicalisation of people who do not see opportunities in the country, such as the man who last year went to Italy and then to France to commit an attack.

Beyond these specific attacks by radicalised elements, the Kasserine region is where, for example, the Daesh branch in the country is located, a small group called Jund Al-Khilafa, although it is believed, as jihadist terrorism expert Sergio Altuna points out, that the larger attacks do not originate from these small cells, which have a very limited operational capacity, but from elements who have left Tunisia to receive training and have returned to commit the attacks.

In fact, on nearby Mount Chambi, on the border with Algeria, the Tunisian Armed Forces suffered one of their worst attacks in 2014, in which 14 of their troops were killed after an attack by more than fifty Jihadists. Despite having a relatively small population, Tunisia is one of the countries from which most fighters left to join Daesh, so concern about returning fighters is very high. Moreover, Tunisia shares a border with Libya, so the country's instability and conflict situation for almost a decade does not help to create a stable and secure environment.

Last March, almost a year ago, there was a suicide bombing in the Tunisian capital against the US embassy. Although two people blew themselves up in the vicinity of the building, only one Tunisian policeman was killed and five other people, one of them a civilian, were wounded, most of them policemen guarding the US embassy.

Both attackers had reportedly spent several years in prison for links to another attack, making it clear that Tunisia faces a major terrorist threat, not only from new radicalisations that may emerge, but also from the recidivism of elements already imprisoned or the return of foreign fighters from other conflict zones.