Tunisia Declares Mountainous Area 'Military Zone'

Tunisia's presidency on Wednesday declared a mountainous region near the border with Algeria where its forces have been hunting jihadists a "closed military zone".

"Mount Chaambi and some surrounding areas including the mountains of Sammama, Salloum and Mghilla" have been declared "zones closed for military operations", the presidency said.

The measure would remain in place until the operations were completed, it said in a statement.

Since late 2012, security forces have been battling dozens of militants holed up in the Mount Chaambi region just a few kilometers (miles) from the border with Algeria.

On Friday, an explosion wounded one person there.

In July, eight soldiers were killed in an ambush in the area, and others have died or been wounded in explosions caused by hidden devices.

Last August, the government ordered the creation of a buffer zone in southern Tunisia along the borders with Algeria and Libya to fight "terrorism".