At least two Tunisian soldiers were killed and several wounded in "terrorist" attacks on two army posts near the border with Algeria, the country's defence ministry said early today.
"The preliminary toll is two soldiers dead, and some wounded, and one terrorist killed," ministry spokesman Rachid Bouhoula told AFP.
He said that yesterday evening "two terrorist groups attacked two national army posts with machineguns and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades) around 7:40 pm (local time)".
The attacks came nearly one year after Tunisian soldiers were ambushed in the same region of Mount Chaambi where the army has been hunting down a group with links to Al-Qaeda.
Eight soldiers were killed in the attack on July 29 last year which happened several days after the assassination of opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi in Tunis, causing a political crisis in the north African country.
Last month Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) for the first time claimed responsibility for recent attacks in Tunisia, including an assault in May on the home of the interior minister that left four security guards dead.
