It prompted authorities to close the frontier and order a nighttime curfew. A night curfew was ordered in Ben Guerdane until further notice.
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The IS also claimed responsibility for the June and November attacks.
“But thanks to all the efforts, to the cooperation between our national army and our internal security forces, the reaction was strong and fast”, said Essid.
Gunfire rang out near the town’s main avenue as darkness fell Monday, after an exceptional day of clashes and tension, said resident Raoudha Bouttar, a local journalist. Authorities said ground and air patrols along the border would be reinforced.
Another witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of repercussions from the attackers, said the gunmen spoke of creating a caliphate and “liberating” the town. There was a confrontation between security forces and Islamic militants.
“The majority of Tunisians are now in a state of war against barbarism”, he said from the capital, Tunis.
The government said that an army barracks and police and National Guard posts in Ben Guerdane came under attack in coordinated pre-dawn assaults.
The violence comes amid increasing concerns about Islamic State extremists in Libya.
Another daily, Le Temps, said the attacks may “mark a turning point in the terrorists’ strategy towards our country ” .
Without elaborating, Essid insisted cooperation with “brother and friend countries” including the United States will help Tunisia in its fight against extremism but excluded the possibility of a foreign military intervention.
Tunisian forces have repeatedly clashed with extremists on the borders of Libya and Algeria in recent years, but Monday’s fighting was exceptionally deadly. Officials reportedly anticipated the attack on the barracks, but were surprised at the large number of attackers. ‘But the people in the south can be confident the army and police will win against this barbarity across the border’. Militants trained in jihadist camps in Libya carried out two attacks past year in Tunisia.
Tunisia is especially anxious about the Islamic State presence in Libya after dozens of tourists were killed in attacks in Tunisia past year.
France’s foreign ministry condemned the attacks and identified the gunmen as “terrorists coming from Libyan territory ” .
According to Essid, security and military forces in the city were not caught off guard.
Hospital official Abdelkrim Sakroud said on state radio that three bodies had been taken to the hospital, including that of a 12-year-old girl.
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Essebsi said the Tunisian forces had anticipated an attack – though “probably” not one on this scale – and reacted vigilantly. The two ministries went on to call on residents of the town “to remain at home” .
