Tunisian Forces Kill 'Terrorist' near Border Attack Town

Tunisia's security forces have killed a "terrorist" outside the southern border town of Ben Guerdane where jihadists mounted a deadly assault earlier this month, authorities said Monday.

"A terrorist element holed up in a house was killed in the Sayah area" near the Libyan border, the interior and defense ministries said in a joint statement.

Security forces found his body after several hours of heavy clashes, a security source said.

Ten members of the security forces and one civilian were wounded in the fighting, a Ben Guerdane hospital official said. Three are still in hospital.

The army and security forces have deployed around Ben Guerdane since jihadists launched a dawn assault on security installations in the area on March 7, killing 13 members of the security forces and seven civilians.

The security source said the Monday raid came as part of an operation launched Sunday to target the alleged killer of an official in the security forces during the March 7 assault.

On Monday morning, President Beji Caid Essebsi met Prime Minister Habib Essid to discuss "the security situation in Ben Guerdane," a statement from the president's office said.

There was no claim of responsibility for the March 7 attacks, but authorities blamed them on the Islamic State group.

Tunisian authorities said two "terrorists" were killed Saturday in the same area.

Tunisia has failed to curb a rise in extremism since the 2011 revolution that ousted longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Last year, IS claimed attacks on the Bardo museum in Tunis and a popular resort hotel, killing 59 tourists in total, and the suicide bombing of a bus that killed 12 presidential guards.

Thousands of Tunisians have signed up to fight abroad with extremist groups.

Tunisia is on Tuesday expected to host a meeting for countries neighboring Libya, where IS has taken advantage of the turmoil after the 2011 revolution to extend its influence.