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Armed Libyans engaged in shootout with petrol smugglers at Tunisian border

09 December 2011 18:30 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. A group of armed Libyans engaged in a car chase with Tunisian petrol smugglers and crossed into Tunisian territory shooting at the fleeing vehicles near the main Tunisian- Libyan border crossing of Ras El Jedir, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred Thursday night.

The incident has created panic on the Tunisian side of the border, TAP said, adding that it represented yet "another violation of Tunisia’s sovereignty."

Tunisian security forces later managed to arrest the smugglers. An enquiry was opened to this effect.

The Ras El Jedir border point was closed last week after armed Libyans tried to enter into Tunisia making use of their firearms.

The incident comes as Libyan National Transition Council (NTC) officials have apologized to Tunisian authorities following " repeated infringements of Tunisia’s integrity" by armed Libyans over the past weeks.

They said Libya would soon send professional customs officers and border guards to operate its border crossings with Tunisia.