Tunisian security forces engaged in a series of gunfights with an unidentified group of armed militants in Sidi Bouzid on April 30. Tunisian officials said several militants were killed while others remain holed up in a siege situation.
The gunmen had been holed up in several houses in the city’s eastern Ouled Chelbi neighborhood before security forces launched an operation following intelligence reports that an Islamic State cell had entered the country illegally through Libya. One militant on the second floor of a building detonated his suicide vest, while security officials said the security situation remains ongoing. Several police have been wounded.
Shortly after the event began unfolding, IS-affiliated Telegram channels shared the same video, reporting “a shooting and explosion happened in Sidi Bouzid in a fight against Tunisian police.” That said, it remains unclear as to whether or not the gunmen have any affiliation to IS at the time of writing.
