Tunisian soldiers and members of the national guard shot dead two "terrorist elements" in the centre-west of the country, the interior ministry said late Saturday. The operation took place in the mountainous Kasserine region near the border with Algeria, it said in a statement. The Kasserine range is known as an area where jihadists take shelter, such as Jund al-Khilafa who is affiliated to both Islamic State and Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI). The country has been in a state of emergency since a suicide attack in Tunis in November 2015 that killed 12 members of the presidential guard. On March 22 it ordered a shutdown as part of measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. It is due to stay in place until April 19. kl/jj/mtp