Clashes in Tunisia near Libyan border leave at least 53 dead

At least 53 people were killed in Tunisia after extremist gunmen attacked a town on Monday near the Libyan border.

The government says 35 attackers, seven civilians, including a 12-year-old girl, and 11 members of security forces have been killed in Ben Guerdane. The gunmen entered the city at dawn, targeting a police station and military facilities, The Associated Press reports. The border with Libya has been closed, and witnesses say corpses are still in the street and gunmen are hiding inside houses.

Tunisian Prime Minister Hassid Essid announced on television the attackers were from the Islamic State, trying to gain ground along the border; while no groups immediately claimed responsibility, ISIS supporters said online some militants participated in the attack. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi said it was an "unprecedented attack, planned and organized. Its goal was probably to take control of this area and to announce a new emirate." A witness told AP that gunmen said they were going to create a caliphate and "liberate" the town.

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