Armed Tunisian police swarm streets of tourist towns

Hundreds of armed police patrolled the streets of Tunisia's beach resorts on June 28 and the government said it will deploy hundreds more inside hotels after the Islamist militant attack in Sousse that killed 39 foreigners, mostly Britons. 

Thousands of tourists have left Tunisia since the attack on June 26, which has shocked the North African country that relies heavily on tourism for jobs and foreign currency revenues. 

Britain's Foreign Office warned late on June 27 that Islamist militants may launch further attacks in Tunisia after a gunman opened fire on the Imperial Marhaba resort in the deadliest such attack in Tunisia's modern history. 

At least 15 Britons were among the dead and wounded along with German, Irish and Belgian nationals in Sousse. The health ministry says at least 40 people were wounded without giving any details of their nationalities. 

"We are going to deploy 1,000 armed police to protect hotels and tourists," Tunisian Interior Minister Najem Gharsalli told reporters late on Saturday night. 

Since its 2011 uprising to oust Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia has made a peaceful transition to democracy with a new constitution and free elections. It is seen as a model for the region.
 
But its young democracy has also been tested by the rise of  hardline Islamist movements, some of which have turned to violence. The army has been fighting a campaign against pockets of Islamist militants near the Algerian border. 

State news agency TAP said gunmen raided houses for food in El Kef, a northeastern city about 160 km (100 miles) from the coast and 40 km from the Algerian border, before heading to the mountains that separate the two countries. TAP gave no further details. 

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