Tunisia annouces elimination of "dangerous terrorist"

TUNIS, Jan 20 (KUNA) -- Tunisian Interior Ministry said Saturday security forces killed a "dangerous terrorist" and inflicted damage in an armed group in the midwest of the country.
A terrorist group, made up of 4-6 gunmen, decended from Samamah mountain in the Qasrain province at night to attack nearby houses and steal food from them, it added in a statement.
Security forces have been monitoring movements of the group for three days before ambushing them today, killing what believed to be an Algerian terrorist who joined the terrorist groups in 1993, said the ministry.
This terrorist, whose identity was not revealed, is close to the leader of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, and acted as a liaison between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and Libya.
The security forces also seized a Kalashnokov, three magazines, an explosive device and detonators, it said.
Many armed groups hide in the mountains in Qasrain and use them as a launch-pad for their operations. The Tunisian forces closed the area and carried out many operations against the gunmen. (end) ksj.bs