A wounded police officer receives treatment in a hospital in Sidi Bouzid
Tunisia's
president has announced three days of national mourning for eight
officers killed by suspected militants in the central Sidi Bouzidi
province.
President Moncef Marzouki was speaking on the second anniversary of the country's first free elections.
Earlier, PM Ali Larayedh confirmed the government would
resign after talks with the opposition on appointing a caretaker
administration were complete.
The negotiations are aimed at ending months of political crisis in Tunisia.
The prime minister said his moderate Islamist-led government
was committed to the "principle of relinquishing power in line with the
different phases envisaged in the roadmap".
"We will not submit to anyone except the interests of the country," he said.
His address came after thousands of anti-government
protesters marched through the capital, Tunis, calling for the
government to go.
Thousands of anti-government protesters marched through the capital, Tunis
The political crisis was triggered by the assassination of two prominent opposition politicians earlier this year.
The deadlock has threatened to disrupt a democratic
transition that began after Tunisians threw out their decades-old
authoritarian government at the beginning of the 2011 uprisings, widely
referred to as the Arab Spring.
Earlier this month, the governing Ennahda party agreed to
step aside in favour of a caretaker government, which would run the
country until fresh elections are held.
Ennahda and the opposition now have three weeks to appoint
the interim cabinet. They also have one month to adopt a new
constitution, electoral laws and set an election date.
Militant groups
Since the 2011 revolt, Tunisia has seen a rise in attacks by militants.
The president paid his respects to the "souls of the martyrs who were martyred today" in a speech broadcast live on national TV.
Members of the National Guard had surrounded a building in
the village of Sidi Ali Bououn, following a tip-off that a suspicious
group was hiding there, officials said.
A fierce gun battle ensued during which both security forces and militants were killed.
The president said the militants were responding "to the
painful blow" on 17 October, when security forces killed at least nine
suspected Islamist militants who the authorities said had carried out a
deadly attack on a police patrol.
At least three other suspects were arrested in the operation in the Mount Taouyer area, about 70km (44 miles) west of Tunis.
The interior ministry blamed militants belonging to the
Salafist Ansar al-Sharia group, who were linked to the murders of
prominent left-wing figure Chokri Belaid in February and opposition
politician Mohammed Brahmi in July.
Their deaths triggered mass protests against the government.
Ennahda condemned the killings but the opposition accused it
of failing to rein in radical Islamists - charges it strongly denies.
Several other militant groups - including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb - also operate in the region.
SOURCE: BBC
