Officials in Tunisia have reassured tourists of their safety and security following twin suicide bombings targeting security forces in Tunis on Thursday, which left a patrol officer dead and injured at least 8 people.
Related: 9 injured in double suicide attacks in Tunis
Tourism Minister, Rene Trabelsi told reporters that “this attack against national security agents has nothing to do with tourists”.
“This attack has nothing to do with the decline or cancellation of reservations for tourists in Tunisia. It is an attack against national security agents, against a building of the anti-terrorist unit that fights this phenomenon of terrorism and has nothing to do with tourists”, he said.
Tunisia has repeatedly been hit by terrorists, threatening its relative political stability in the country.
Trabelsi told tourists to ‘‘have a good holiday and come to Tunisia. Tunisia is a country that fights these terrorists and has been keeping tourist areas secure since 2015, we will do it tomorrow and today. Unfortunately with this phenomenon of kamikaze, there is no direct solution, but we can fight with information and collaboration, that’s how we fight them.
The twin blasts on Thursday came as Tunisia’s 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, who had briefly been hospitalized in less than a week, was again rushed to the hospital after a ‘‘serious illness”.
Related: Tunisia’s 92-year-old President, Essebsi in ‘critical condition’
The Islamic State group which was responsible for Tunisia’s deadliest extremists attacks, which hit the heart of the tourism sector in 2015, have also claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack through its Aamaq news agency.
The attacks in 2015 led to the pulling out of travel agencies from the country and foreign governments issuing warnings for citizens planning to go to Tunisia.
Tourism in the country has since improved as government increased security around popular destinations.
