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Tunisia closes border with Libya following bus bombing

November 26, 2015 at 10:58 am

Tunisia has announced that it will be closing its border with Libya for 15 days after a bus bombing in the capital Tunis killed 15 members of the presidential guard.

“The National Security Council, headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi, decided to close the frontier from midnight on Wednesday with reinforced surveillance of maritime borders and in airports,” a government statement confirmed.

“The Tunisian authorities will take urgent measures regarding people returning from hotbeds of conflict in line with anti-terrorist laws, as well as stepping up operations to block internet sites linked to terrorism,” the statement added.

The council also announced that the government will recruit an additional 3,000 agents at the Interior Ministry next year, as well as a further 3,000 soldiers.

Tunisian President Beji Kaid Essebsi announced a nationwide state of emergency in the country for 30 days, and a curfew in the Greater Tunis region from Wednesday 8:00 pm GMT, until 4:00 am GMT.

The Islamist group known as Daesh (or ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement shared on its supporters’ social media accounts yesterday.