Tunisia dismantles terror cell linked to ISIS

Units from the Anti-Terrorism department uncovered a cell called 'Al Muwahhidun' linked to an extremist group that has pledged allegiance to ISIS

Tunisian special forces take position during clashes with militants in the southern town of Ben Guerdane, near the Libyan border, on March 7, 2016. File photo / AFP

Tunisia says it has dismantled a terrorist cell linked to the ISIS group, according to an official statement from the country’s interior ministry.

Units from the Anti-Terrorism department at Tunisia’s National Guard said they had been able to uncover a cell called “Al Muwahhidun” linked to an extremist group that had earlier pledged allegiance to ISIS.

“The cell included six members and is active in the Tataouine region led by a Takfiri (extremist) fighter. Its fighters had pledged allegiance to the leader of the so-called ISIS terrorist group. They deliberately attracted a group of young men to adopt the Takfiri ideology and also planned to manufacture explosive materials,” read a statement from the Tunisian interior ministry.

Earlier this year, Tunisian police thwarted an attack planned by a woman coming from Syria, where she received training “with terrorist groups,” targeting tourist areas in the country.

Tunisian security forces have foiled most extremist terror plots in recent years and they have become more efficient at responding to those attacks that do occur, according to Western diplomats.

The last major attacks that took place in Tunisia came in 2015 when extremists killed scores of people in two separate assaults at a museum in Tunis and a beach resort in Sousse.