TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The Tunisian Defense Ministry says a group of terrorists killed two soldiers in an ambush and wounded six others near the country’s border with Algeria.

The incident Saturday came after 15 soldiers were killed July 17 in simultaneous attacks near the Algerian border at Mount Chaambi, where security forces have long been trying to root out Islamist extremists. Ministry spokesman Rachid Bouhoula said Saturday’s attack occurred in the Kef region to the north of Mount Chaambi.

Radio Mosaique, usually well informed, said the soldiers were on patrol and killed in an ambush by some 40 attackers.

The group that claimed responsibility for the Mount Chaambi attack, Okba Ibn Nafaa, believed linked to al-Qaida’s North African arm, threatened reprisals two days ago on Facebook after waves of arrests of suspected extremists.

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