Updated

Tunisian security forces have killed six gunmen in further clashes near the Libyan border, bringing to 42 the number of assailants killed in two days.

The Interior and Defense ministries said on Wednesday that the hunt for jihadis continues after the exceptionally violent attacks on Monday and late Tuesday that killed a dozen members of the security forces and seven civilians around Ben Guerdane.

Security forces supported by helicopters are trying to track down armed attackers who fled — and are thought to be holed up in uninhabited houses in the region.

Information from seven arrested led security forces to arms depots, authorities have said.

Prime Minister Habib Essid said on Tuesday that some 50 people took part in the attack. There's been no claim of responsibility.