Tunisia says Libya border attack aimed to set up IS `emirate`

Jihadists who carried out a deadly attack near the Libyan border had planned to establish IS emirate, says Tunisian PM Habib Essid.

Tunis: Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid said jihadists who carried out a deadly attack Monday on a town near the Libyan border had planned to establish an "emirate" of the Islamic State group.

"The purpose of the attack was to disrupt the security situation in our country and establish a Daesh emirate in Ben Guerdane," he said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"But thanks to all the efforts, to the cooperation between our national army and our internal security forces, the reaction was strong and fast," said Essid.