TUNIS — Tens of thousands of Tunisians marched through the capital in a show of solidarity against Islamist militants on Sunday, hours after the government said its forces had killed nine members of a group suspected of carrying out this month's deadly Bardo Museum attack.
The March 18 attack in Tunis killed 21 foreign tourists and a policeman. A red-and-white sea of Tunisian crescent and star flags filled a major boulevard in Tunis where several world leaders, including French President Francois Hollande, planned to rally under the slogan "Le Monde est Bardo" (The World is Bardo). Thousands of police and soldiers were positioned around the capital.
"We have shown we are a democratic people, Tunisians are moderate, and there is no room for terrorists here," said one of the demonstrators, Kamel Saad. "Today everyone is with us."
Tunisia's Prime Minister Habib Essid earlier told reporters a raid in the southern Gafsa region had killed nine militants from the local group Okba Ibn Nafaa, including Algerian Lokman Abu Sakhr, suspected of orchestrating the museum attack.
"This is a clear and strong response to terrorism after the Bardo attack," Essid said.
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