Three civilians among 19 dead in Tunisia fighting

By AFP

Ivory Coast A Tunisian soldier stands guard at the scene of an assault on a house outside the town of Ben Guerdane near the border with Libya on March 3, 2016. By Fathi Nasri AFP

MAR 7, 2016 LISTEN

A Tunisian soldier stands guard at the scene of an assault on a house outside the town of Ben Guerdane near the border with Libya on March 3, 2016. By Fathi Nasri (AFP)

Ben Guerdane (Tunisia) (AFP) - Heavy fighting for an army barracks in a Tunisian town near the Libyan border killed three civilians, three security personnel and 13 militants, medics and the defence ministry said.

A 12-year-old was among the civilians killed in Ben Guerdane, hospital official Abdelkrim Chafroud told AFP, adding that two security agents were also among the dead.

The defence ministry said that 13 militants and a soldier were killed as troops thwarted the attack on the barracks.

Six militants were also wounded and detained, defence ministry spokesman Rachid Bouhoula told AFP.