Tunisian security forces have killed six Takfiri terrorists who had taken a number of people hostage in a suburban house near the capital Tunis, Press TV reports.
Security forces stormed the house in the Oued Ellil suburb of Tunis on Friday after negotiations with the terrorists failed.
Five women and one man were killed and two others arrested in the attack. Tunisian security guards also rescued two kids who had been used as human shields by the militants during the operations.
The militants were reportedly planning an attack to disrupt the country’s parliamentary elections, which is due on Sunday.
“The mother used her own daughter as a human shield for foreign agents. This shows the inhumanity of those terrorists who were neutralized by the elite anti-terrorism units,” Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Aroui told Press TV.
“We would like to reassure Tunisians that the situation is under control. Militants wanted to abort the election process, but this will not happen,” he added.
Security forces are on high alert ahead of the key elections, in which approximately 5.2 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
Over 13,000 candidates started their official electoral campaigns around three weeks ago for the 217 seats in the country’s National Assembly.
The Islamist Ennahda Movement and the secular Nidaa Tounes Party are expected to win the majority of the votes in the upcoming elections.
Authorities have warned that militants would launch a spate of attacks in an attempt to disrupt the elections and destabilize the country.
MSM/MKA/MHB
