A Tunisian soldier holds his position during an exercise along the frontier with Libya in Sabkeht Alyun
A Tunisian service member was injured on March 1 when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a unit of the Tunisian military that was patrolling the Orbata mount in the western province of Gafsa.
The Arabesque news outlet said that the injured soldier was transported via a helicopter to the military hospital in the capital to receive proper medical treatment.
According to several Tunisian sources, the targeted military unite was participating in a security operation against terrorist cells who are hiding in the region.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack on the patrol in a short statement released by its news agency, Amaq. The attack confirms that ISIS cells are indeed operating in the Orbata mount area.
Last year, Tunisia witnessed several terrorist attacks. On October 29, a female suicide bomber blew herself up in a patrol of the Tunisian Police in the middle of the capital injuring several people.
Tunisia has become a heartland for different terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda and ISIS, following a success of the revolution in 2011. Some of these terrorist groups even managed to establish hideouts in the western part of the country, where they remain a threat to this day.
