Tens of thousands protest against Tunisia\'s government

Tunisians protest in front of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) in Tunis Tens of thousands of people poured onto the streets of the Tunisian capital to demand the resignation of the government as the political crisis in the north African nation deepened. The country has been wracked by political unrest since the July 25 murder of opposition lawmaker Mohamed Brahmi and Tuesday\'s protests marked the biggest anti-government demonstration since the assassination.
A police official estimated that 40,000 people crowded the streets of Tunis to call for the government led by the moderate Islamic movement Ennahda to step down. Opposition leaders cited in local media put the figure at 100,000-200,000.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) - a body elected in 2011 to forge consensus on drafting a new constitution - was suspended.
Assembly speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar said the NCA\'s work would be halted until the government and opposition opened negotiations to break the deadlock \"in the service of Tunisia\".
\"We are facing a difficult situation and a dangerous turning point six months after the first political assassination that could have destabilised the country,\" Ben Jaafar said referring to the assassination of the Tunisian politician, Chokri Belaid on February 6.
\"I will be faithful to my mission and I will make every effort to protect Tunisia,\" he added.
Brahmi\'s killing had already prompted several opposition members to boycott the NCA and its suspension was a key demand of the protesters on the street.
Brahmi\'s murder, as well as that of Belaid, have been blamed on radical Islamists, with the Ennahda-led cabinet criticised for not doing enough to prevent them.
The demonstration attracted a mixed bag of opposition parties, ranging from extreme left to centre-right, and was timed to mark six months since Belaid was gunned down outside his home.
Protesters carried pictures of both Belaid and Brahmi and shouted slogans such as \"The people want the regime to fall\" and \"The government will end today.\"
Earlier Tuesday, before its work was suspended, the ANC had gathered to discuss the \"terrorist crisis\" as security forces pressed on with a vast operation to hunt down militants holed up in the rugged Mount Chaambi region near the Algerian border.
Speaking to the assembly, Larayedh had harsh words for the demonstrators, saying their activities meant security forces \"are obliged to be in the streets when they should be participating in the battle against terrorism\".
Defence Minister Rachid Sabbagh told the ANC that the armies of Tunisia and Algeria would \"reinforce their cooperation, particularly to arrest the Chaambi terrorists.\"
Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou told delegates that at least 46 people suspected of belonging to extremist groups.
\"We will soon compensate for the security failure by capturing the murder of Brahmi and Belaid, now that we have formally identified all the members of the group involved in both assassinations, six of whom have already been arrested,\" the minster said.
Commenting on the Mount Chaambi, he said: \"Military and security operations will continue until all the fighters holed up in the mountain are taken out.\" He claimed that 140 militants from the Uqbah Ibn Nafaa brigade were operating in the Mount Chaambi region.
Ben Jeddou said that security forces had foiled plots to assassinate politicians in the central-east city of Sousse, as well as thwarting attempts to carry out major banks robberies.