Generations change but their fates often remain the same. Hedi, 27, from the town of Bshimet El-Burj in the El Hamma area, 510 kilometers south east of Tunis, died in an ambush by Islamic militants in the al-Shaanbi Mountains on July 29. His grandfather died on the same spot over half a century ago.

In front of Hedi’s home, Ahmad, his father, was sitting among hundreds of local residents of different ages, listening to verses of the Quran and discussing martyrdom.

Hero like his grandfather

Generations change but their fates often remain the same. Hedi, 27, from the town of Bshimet El-Burj in the El Hamma area, 510 kilometers south east of Tunis, died in an ambush by Islamic militants in the al-Shaanbi Mountains on July 29. His grandfather died on the same spot over half a century ago.

In front of Hedi’s home, Ahmad, his father, was sitting among hundreds of local residents of different ages, listening to verses of the Quran and discussing martyrdom.

Hero like his grandfather

“My son is one of El Hamma’s heroes like his grandfather Mahmoud Ben Hassouna who also died in Jebel ech Chambi in the late 1950s during the civil conflict between the two Tunisian leaders Habib Bourguiba and Salah Ben Youssef,” says Ahmad, father of one of the eight deceased Tunisian soldiers.

Sergeant Hedi died two days after the burial of Mohamed Brahmi, a political dissident and a National Constituent Assembly (NCA) member, who was assassinated by armed men on Republic Day on July 25. Hedi was part of army units trying to secure the volatile Jebel ech Chambi, the country’s highest mountain range, in northwestern Tunisia.

‘Tunisia’s martyr’, as Tunisians have nicknamed Hedi, was born in 1984 and joined the army five years ago. He served in the Commandos in several cities before settling at the Bizerte Military Camp, northern Tunisia. He died only three days after reaching Kasserine to help his colleagues in the war against terror.

“We received the news of his death minutes before breaking our fasting. A phone call from his colleague shocked us. We were not willing to believe and we hoped that an official source would deny it. We accepted his death with great faith and strange emotions mixed with grief and pride,” says Hedi’s father.

“My son was the first soldier to be slaughtered, according to one of his colleagues who survived this horrible crime,” he adds in an intermittent voice.

Family’s second martyr

The official burial ceremony at the Martyrs Graveyard in El Hamma did not stop his mother Wrida from demanding the army revenge the death of her son and his colleagues. “His blood should not be wasted. He has sacrificed his life for the sake of his country and the coming generations,” she says. “They have slaughtered him. What is this Sharia they are talking about and want to impose on a tolerant people?”

El Hamma’s elderly speak about the bravery of Hedi’s grandfather and stress that his ability to trap French soldiers led him to be the leader of armed groups that played a major role in freeing Tunisia. After independence, Ben Hassouna, Hedi’s grandfather, continued his struggle, rebelling against the policy of the late first Tunisian President Bourguiba.  

“Martyrdom is a creed in our town”

“Martyrdom is a creed in our town. We are ready to join the army to fight terrorism in Jebel ech Chambi (ED: also known as the Al-Shaanbi mountains). We are the sons and grandsons of Mujahideen whom neither the French occupation nor the successive Tunisian governments could tame or subjugate,” said Mahdi Messaadi, Hedi’s uncle.

Messaadi says Hedi’s family is expecting an official report from the Ministry of Defense (MoD) on the details of his death. He also questions the army’s capacities, especially since it has failed to defeat the terrorists who have been hiding in Jebel ech Chambi for months.

The MoD ascribes its inability to defeat armed insurgents in Jebel ech Chambi to the difficult terrain and limited Intelligence reports.

How did terrorists sneak in?

“Jebel ech Chambi is the highest mountain in Tunisia with an altitude of 1,544 metres. It is covered with pine trees, which explains the difficulty of moving around,” said Muhammad Ashur, a geography teacher at Gabès High School.

“These terrorists have chosen a difficult terrain as their shelter, but how did they manage to sneak in? Where is the Tunisian intelligence? Who is conspiring against the country?” asks Ashur.

Ashur’s fears were confirmed by the Minister of the Interior Lotfi Ben Jeddou, who said various security services had been penetrated. Jeddou called upon citizens with any information to contact his ministry.

According to a source in the military judiciary, the initial investigations reveal that the terrorists surprised the soldiers’ car with a torrent of gunshots, leaving them cornered and exposed. They then took the soldiers’ uniforms, arms and electronic devices.

Thousands visit army barracks in show of solidarity

The scale and quality of this terror operation prompted the MoD to warn the army, the security forces and civilians to remain vigilant. “These terrorists might use the uniforms they took from the soldiers to carry out new operations in cities,” said an MoD spokesperson.

The death of Hedi Messaadi and his colleagues proves that the Tunisian people insist on rejecting terrorism, embracing a civil state and support the army. In the last few weeks, Tunisian army barracks have been visited by thousands of ordinary citizens expressing solidarity.