Ansar al-Sharia holds Tunisian conference

Tunisia’s Salafist Ansar al-Sharia group has announced its third annual summit will go ahead, despite an increasingly tense stand-off with the country’s government. The conference is expected to be held in Tadamon in Tunis after the Tunisian government claimed Ansar al-Sharia had not secured legal permission for the event previously slated to take place in Kairouan, 300 kilometres south of the capital. Tunisian authorities had mobilised a large security presence in Kairouan ahead of the planned summit, blocking roads with checkpoints, confiscating pro-jihadist banners and arresting dozens of alleged “religious extremists.” Over 12,000 police, security forces officials and counter-terrorism agents had entered Kairouan, sources revealed. Tunisian Prime Minister Ali Larayedh, currently visiting Qatar, has previously dubbed Ansar al-Sharia has an illegal organisation due to its alleged advocation of violence and links to terrorist groups.