On February 6th,2020 Tunisia woke up on tragedy that shook the country and claimed the life of martyr Lieutenant Taoufik Missaoui.
A pair of suicide bombers drove themselves up near the massively fortified US Embassy in Tunis, killing one police lieutenant. Four others and a civilian woman were wounded in the attack. The men approached the embassy in Tunis’ Berges du Lac II district at around 11 a.m. local time and detonated explosives, Witnesses said the men were on a motorcycle.
Sufyan al-Sulaiti, a spokesman for the anti-terror judicial branch, said the two attackers used a large number of explosives and that the motorcycle they were riding was rigged with explosives.
On its part, The State Department announced one of the embassy’s locally employed staff was hurt in the attack, but that “no Americans were reported to have been injured.”
“We are outraged by this attack and saddened to hear of reports of one fatality from Tunisia’s security services,” the spokesperson said. “We compliment the Tunisian security forces on their quick and effective response to the incident.”
The spokesperson said the State Department is working with local authorities to investigate and that no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The US embassy tweeted a statement from US Ambassador Donald Blome that said: “We reaffirm our commitment to our longstanding friendship with Tunisia and our alliance with them against the scourge of terrorism. Following the attack, the American school and all American facilities were shut down.
Paying a visit to the wounded at the Internal Security Forces of La Marsa to inquire about the health condition, President Kais Saied stressed the commitment of the state to guarantee the rights of the injured security forces at all levels
He also repeated the dedication of the Presidency of the Republic to approve new legislation securing the rights of martyrs and wounded, stressing the need to address the phenomenon of terrorism, based on a comprehensive approach that integrates, in addition to the security aspect, the social and cultural dimensions, to optimise the fight against the scourge of terrorism. He also spoke with the wounded members of the security forces, praising the bravery they showed in defending the homeland. The wounded security forces, for their part, communicated their steadfast resolve to protect the homeland, stating that such operations will not succeed in destabilising them but will further encourage them to mobilise to rid society of the scourge of terrorism, according to the statement.
On his side, Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh visited the home of the martyr Lieutenant Taoufik Missaoui to offer his sincere condolences to his family members. He expressed Tunisia is indebted to the martyr and remains the guarantor of his family’s rights. He further called on Tunisians to close ranks and reject any form of violence that could threaten Tunisia’s security and democracy.
On the international level, condemnation poured as Saudi Arabia denounced the Tunisia terrorist attack in a statement by the Kingdom’s Foreign Ministry.
“The Foreign Ministry expresses the Kingdom’s condemnation of the terrorist blast that targeted security forces near the US Embassy in the capital of Tunis, which killed a policeman and wounded others,” the ministry stated in a statement on Twitter.
The UAE, Qatar, Turkey, Libya and Portugal all issued statements of condemnation and affirmed their support for Tunisia in their fight against terrorism all while offering their condolences to the family of the martyr and wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded.
The United Nations System to Tunisia also affirmed solidarity with the Tunisian people and authorities and paid tribute to the security forces, following the terrorist attack which targeted a police patrol stationed near the United States Embassy.
The United Nations to Tunisia also offered condolences to the family of the deceased police lieutenant and expresses wishes of a speedy recovery to the injured.
Additionally, the European Union condemned the attack in Berges du Lac and reiterated its support for Tunisia, saying it will continue to work tirelessly with the Tunisian authorities in the fight against terrorism and radicalism.
“I condemn with the greatest firmness the suicide attack that occurred at the Berges du Lac in Tunis late this morning. I extend my sincere condolences to the family of the police officer killed following this new “heinous” attack.
I express my heartfelt sympathy to the injured and their families as well as to all the Tunisian security forces and to my colleagues at the US Embassy,” European Union ambassador in Tunis Patrice Bergamini wrote on his official Facebook page.
Furthermore,Arab Parliament, Mishaal bin Fahm al-Salami strongly condemned the “cowardly” terrorist attack In a statement made public on Friday, Al-Selmi expressed the Arab Parliament’s total solidarity with Tunisia.
The Arab Parliament stands by Tunisia in its war against terrorism and supports all measures it will take to ensure its security and stability, he said.
Al-Selmi expressed the Arab Parliament’s consideration for the efforts of the security forces to preserve the security of Tunisia and its people, wishing a speedy recovery to the police officers injured in the terrorist attack.
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