TUNIS, Tunisia

Tunisian security forces have killed three gunmen from Jund al-Khilafa (Caliphate Soldiers) terrorist group in the Kasserine province, the country's Defense Ministry said on Friday.

"Joint units of the army, the (gendarmerie) and the national security were able to eliminate three terrorists affiliated with the Jund al-Khilafa organization," the ministry said.

The statement added that the terrorists were killed "in a field operation in the heights of Salloum, without recording injuries among the intervening units."

"Operations are still underway to track down the remaining terrorist elements of the aforementioned organization," the ministry said.

Since May 2011, Tunisia has witnessed several terrorist attacks that escalated in 2013, killing dozens of security and military personnel and foreign tourists.

Jund al-Khilafa is a Daesh/ISIS affiliated terrorist group and is responsible for several terrorist attacks between 2019 and 2020, targeting civilians and security forces, according to the Tunisian authorities.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat