Salafists clash with security forces in Tunisian capital

Supporters of the Salafist group, Ansar al-Sharia, have come out in hundreds to clash with security forces in a suburb of Tunisian capital, Tunis, security sources say.
Tunisian security officials said clashes broke out between the Salafists and police on Sunday in Ettadhamen neighborhood where the movement had told the supporters to meet for their banned annual congress.

The clashes came as angry supporters began to throw rocks at police after they intervened to disperse the crowd. The police forces responded by using rubber bullets and firing tear gas.

Some reports say a young man died and several others were severely injured in the ongoing clashes between the police and angry protesters.

Hundreds of Salafists have also erected barricades in the streets of the troubled area in western Tunis.

The authorities have deployed a large number of police forces in the region to deal with any security threats.

The government has banned Ansar al-Sharia from holding its annual congress in the central city of Kairouan. However, the Salafists have vowed to defy any ban on holding the gathering.

Rashid al-Ghannushi who heads the moderate ruling party, Ennahda, had recently warned that the government would not allow the annual congress to take place.

Ennahda was elected following the ouster of former dictator, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, in January 2011.

Tunisia has seen numerous clashes between the authorities and Salafists over the past few months.