Tunisia arrests 5 terror convicts

By Yousri Ounas

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) - Security forces in Tunisia arrested five people convicted for having links to a terror group, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry said four of the convicts, arrested in the central Sidi Bouzid province, were sentenced to one year in prison.

In another statement, the ministry said that another convict was arrested in the southern Gafsa province. The convict was sentenced to six years in jail.

Earlier this month, four Tunisian soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion in a mountainous area in western Tunisia when they were carrying out an operation to hunt down militants.

Following the incident, both Tunisian President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Hicham Mechichi vowed to pursue efforts to combat terrorism.

Since 2011, Tunisia has suffered a number of terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of scores of security and military personnel and foreign tourists.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara