Summary:

On Saturday evening, 3 January 2026, Tunisian security forces successfully thwarted a terrorist operation in Kasserine governorate.

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During a targeted operation near the weekly market in Feryana city, security forces killed Seddik El Abidi, a member of the Jund Al-Khilafah battalion loyal to ISIS, and arrested an accomplice. El Abidi was active in Tunisia’s western mountains along the Algerian border and was suspected of involvement in multiple attacks on civilians and security forces. 

A member of Tunisia’s security forces was shot and injured during the operation and later died from his wounds. The Interior Ministry described this loss as a new sacrifice in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Investigations are ongoing to identify additional extremist links, funding sources, and logistical networks. 

Outlook: 

The operation against an ISIS-affiliated cell comes after a period during of limited evidence of terrorist activity or counterterrorism operations in Tunisia. New terrorist activity in Tunisia, following a period of relative calm, may point to a re-emergence of this threat in Tunisia’s outlying areas.  

This incident also underscores ongoing vulnerabilities along the Algeria-Tunisia border, where border management and security coordination remain difficult, allowing opportunities for extremist elements to operate in the region. 

Such events are likely to increase social tensions, particularly among populations in border villages near Kasserine, Kef, and Jendouba, where residents have historically experienced most acutely the impacts of terrorist activity.  

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