In this video, a group of uniformed policemen go towards the site of the attack. They are followed by dozens of young people, whistling and applauding.

In this video, a group of uniformed policemen go towards the site of the attack. They are followed by dozens of young people, whistling and applauding.

اهالي بنقردان الأسود جنب الى جنب مع الجيش ورجالات الأمن برافوا Posted by Bechir Ayeb Ayeb on Thursday, March 3, 2016 These images show the policemen followed by a huge crowd as the go towards the jihadist hideout.



According to the authorities, the jihadists had recently crossed the nearby Libyan border into Tunisia. They drove their three vehicles to a small village called El-Aouija, which is about five kilometres from the city of Ben Guerdane. They took over a house there after chasing away its residents. Authorities followed them and, according to witnesses, the firefight began around 4pm.Several videos of the scene started circulating on social media. This footage shows observers on the frontline with the police officers, crowding in to watch, film and even suggest the best angle to shoot from. For example, in the video below, you can see overwhelmed policemen trying to shoot at the jihadist hide-out while repeatedly asking the onlookers to get back.At about 58 seconds into the video, two people continue to advance despite the police warnings. They shelter behind a shrub to film, but the bush is so small that they are practically in the open.The security forces take shelter behind a house that faces the white building being used as a hide-out by the jihadists. Periodically, one of the officers peers around the corner of the house to try to spot the jihadists. At 1:15, an onlooker wearing a blue jacket gets close behind a police officer getting ready to shoot. A few seconds later [at 1:29], a policeman sets his machine gun on the ground while another seems to be telling him where to shoot.As soon as that onlooker leaves, another comes up to the officer [at 1:49].At 2:15, a frustrated policeman yells: "Get back! Let them work! Please, leave them alone so they can organise!" But the onlookers don’t move.This cat and mouse game continues for the next few minutes…At no point during the shootout did the policemen manage to construct a security barrier. According to authorities, one civilian was killed by a stray bullet. A police commander sustained a head injury.