Battle of Ben Guerdane

Battle of Ben Guerdane
Part of ISIL insurgency in Tunisia and the
spillover of the Libyan Civil War (2014–present)
Date7–9 March 2016 (2 days)
LocationBen Gardane, Medenine Governorate, Tunisia
Result Tunisian victory
Belligerents
 Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant Tunisian Army
Tunisia Tunisian National Guard
Tunisia Tunisian Police
Strength
~100[1] Unknown
Casualties and losses
55 killed, 52 captured[1][2] 13 killed, 14 wounded[1]
7 civilians killed, 3 wounded[1]

The Battle of Ben Guerdane occurred on March 7, 2016 in the city of Ben Gardane in Tunisia on the border with Libya. Islamic State forces attempted to seize the city, but were repulsed by the Tunisian military. The clashes continued also on 8 and 9 of March in the area.

Attack

In the early hours of the morning, armed groups attacked the city's military barracks, National Guard and police posts in an attempt to wrest control over the town and carve out a stronghold near the Libyan border along with establishing a new "Emirate".[3] The fighting lasted all day between the attackers and Tunisian military reinforcements, until clashes ended in mid-morning, and continued pursuit operations in the vicinity lasted the rest of the day.[4]

Casualties

The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of National Defense put the death toll at 55 people, including 36 militants, 12 security forces members and seven civilians. The following day, another five militants were killed by security forces after they were discovered holed up in a house.[5] On 9 March 2016, a soldier and two militants were died.[1] The final death toll was 45 militants, 13 security and 7 civilians.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Two militants, Tunisian soldier killed in clashes
  2. ↑ http://www.shemsfm.net/fr/actualite/habib-essid-55-terroristes-abattus-et-52-autres-arretes-a-ben-guerdene-136363
  3. ↑ "Tunisia closes border with Libya after fierce clashes". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
  4. ↑ Tunisia: Military Foil Attack On Ben Guerdane Barracks, No Less Than 10 Terrorists Killed Allafrica website, March 8, 2016
  5. ↑ Tunisia forces kill five ‘terrorists’ after deadly IS raid

Coordinates: 33°07′59″N 11°12′58″E / 33.1331°N 11.2161°E / 33.1331; 11.2161

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