Tunisia attack: Most victims were foreigners

On March 18, the Tunisian government strongly condemned the attack on the Bardo Museum in the capital Tunis, and pledged to do its utmost to prevent similar acts from recurring.

Speaking after Tunisian security forces ended the operation to rescue hostages at the Bardo museum, Tunisian President Beji Caid called the attack a “horrific crime,” and expressed his deepest condolences to the victims' families.

Security forces opened the museum gate to let ambulances in to transport the injured victims to the emergency room after the hostage rescue operation ended. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

President Caid said the government had immediately taken all possible measures to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again, and that Tunis would certainly not be lenient in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid accused the attack of being a plot to target the country's economy and tourism industry.

Besides, Mr. Essid also called on Tunisian people to unite to protect the country against terrorism.

The international community has strongly condemned the attack and hostage-taking in Tunisia. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon immediately and strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the Bardo Museum, and sent his condolences to the families of the victims.

From Paris, French President Francois Hollande condemned the terrorist attack in the strongest terms, while affirming Paris' solidarity with Tunis.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington strongly condemned the bloody attack.

He also welcomed Tunisia's timely response in resolving the incident and stabilizing the situation; and affirmed that the US government will continue to support the efforts of the Tunis government to ensure the security and prosperity of this North African country.

Regarding the victims of the Bardo museum attack, Tunisian national television said the total number of victims killed was 17, including 5 Japanese tourists, 4 Italian citizens, and 2 Colombians.

Australia, France, Poland and Spain each had one citizen killed in the attack. The other two victims were Tunisians, one of whom was a police officer. Two terrorists were also killed.

On March 18, attackers dressed in military uniforms opened fire at a bus stop outside the Bardo Museum and then took several hostages inside to defend themselves while being surrounded by security forces.

At the time of the incident, there were about 100 visitors in the museum. The attack also forced Tunisian authorities to urgently evacuate the nearby Parliament building.

A few hours after the incident, Tunisian security forces decided to attack the Bardo museum, killing two terrorists and rescuing all hostages.

Tunisia's Interior Ministry said it was identifying two or three suspected accomplices of the terrorists killed in the recent operation.

The motive of the terrorists is currently being investigated, but it is likely related to extremist Islamic organizations operating in Tunisia.

In recent years, Tunisia has faced violence by Islamist extremists, some of which have been linked to the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) group and the North African branch of al-Qaeda.

A number of Tunisian gunmen have also joined IS forces in Syria and Iraq.

The Bardo museum attack came a day after Tunisian security officials announced the death of a Tunisian terrorism suspect in neighboring Libya./.

According to VNA