Granted, this is not the tiniest pimple on the butt of the horrors perpetuated by ISIS — especially those committed against humans, particularly indigenous Christians — but like the assault on Assyrian antiquities in a museum in Mosul, Iraq, and the bulldozing of the ancient Assyrian city of Nimrud, also in Iraq, it’s just a reminder that 21st Century civilization is under attack from barbarians who aren’t nearly morally advanced enough to be called medieval.
Part of the 1977 sci-fi blockbuster film “Star Wars” took place on the desert planet of Tatooine, the set for which was built in various locations in Tunisia in 1976, and the name for the planet was inspired by the Tunisian town of Tataouine. Since then, what remains of the movie locations have become tourist attractions.
Now, Tataouine, and the nation that surrounds it, is being used by ISIS terrorists:
This struggling town on the fringes of the Sahara still draws a few fans of the movie but now finds itself part of a real conflict, as a way-station for jihadists crossing the Libyan border 60 miles to the east.
Earlier this month, before the gun attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, three young men were arrested here as they allegedly made plans to cross into Libya to join a terrorist network. A local official told CNN they had since been taken to Tunis for questioning.
Two arms caches have also been found in the region this month, one of which included rocket-propelled grenade launchers and more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, thought to have been removed from a Libyan armory in the aftermath of Moammar Gadhafi’s ouster in 2011.
The influx of Islamic State militants threatens Tunisia’s fledgling democracy, as anti-terrorism efforts increase the powers of the Tunisian government to detain and monitor citizens. Also from CNN:
Tunisians say their country is at a crossroads as it tries to fend off the jihadist contagion seeping across North Africa. Their democracy is young and vulnerable.
“We want to be the hope of the Arab world,” said Bassim, “like we were four years ago.”
“We still have hope, but now we have fear too.”
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Image: Wikimedia Commons
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