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Tunisia: Presidential Guard Bus Bomb Kills 12

Tunisia: Presidential Guard Bus Bomb Kills 12

A dozen people have been killed after an attack on a bus carrying the presidential guard in the Tunisian capital.

The 12 are all thought to have been officers, with a security source at the site in central Tunis saying "most of the agents who were on the bus are dead".

Twenty people were injured in the attack, which took place at around 5pm local time and as the presidential guards were on their way to the president's palace.

It is thought the attack was probably carried out by a bomber detonating explosives from inside the vehicle.

Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi has cancelled a trip to Switzerland planned for Wednesday.

He also declared a state of emergency for 30 days and imposed a curfew in the capital.

It is the third major terrorist attack in Tunisia this year after 21 tourists were killed at the Bardo Museum in Tunis in March and 38 people, including 30 Britons, were shot dead at a beach in Sousse in June.

Both attacks were claimed by Islamic State.

Tunisia has struggled with its jihadist problem since it was hailed as an example of democracy after its 2011 uprising ousted autocrat Zine Abidine Ben Ali.

Despite free elections and a new constitution, the country still finds itself at a loss on how to stop several thousands of its citizens heading to fight in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

There are regular arrests of suspected jihadists announced by the government, including the recent detaining of seven women for engaging in pro-IS propaganda, while 20 people were arrested on suspicion of planning attacks on hotels and security facilities.

There are also skirmishes between the Tunisian army and other Islamist militants in the mountains which border Algeria.