Two killed in land mine blast in Tunisia

TUNIS: Two people were killed in a land mine blast in a mountainous area of central Tunisia near the Algerian border used as a hideout by Islamist militants, the defence ministry announced on Tuesday.

"Two citizens in a truck were killed" in Monday’s explosion on Mount Chaambi, ministry spokesman Mohamed Zekri told AFP, without identifying the victims. Tunisian armed forces have for the past six years carried out operations to track down wanted Islamists in the region, which was declared a closed military zone in 2014.

The defence ministry on Tuesday renewed its warning for local residents to steer clear of Mount Chaambi "to avoid being targeted by terrorists hiding out there". Since the Tunisian revolution of 2011, jihadists have killed dozens of members of the security forces and at least 59 foreign tourists.

The country has been under a state of emergency since November 2015, when a suicide bombing in Tunis claimed by the Islamic State group killed 12 presidential guards.