TUNIS, TUNISIA - Tunisian soldiers and members of the national guard shot dead two "terrorist elements" in the center-west of the country, the Interior Ministry said late Saturday.

The operation took place in the mountainous Kasserine region near the border with Algeria, it said in a statement.

The Kasserine range is known as an area where jihadists take shelter, such as Jund al-Khilafa, which is affiliated with both Islamic State and al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI).

The country has been in a state of emergency since a suicide attack in Tunis in November 2015 that killed 12 members of the presidential guard.

On March 22, it ordered a shutdown as part of measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic. It is due to stay in place until April 19.