Tunis, June 16 (IANS): A group of militants attacked a National Guard border patrol near Tunisia's northwestern border with Algeria, killing one soldier and wounding four others, the country's interior ministry said.

Sources said the exchange of fire took place between the "group of terrorists" and the National Guard officers around 5.30 p.m. on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.

A search operation is on to arrest the perpetrators in the region.

Earlier on Monday morning, the interior ministry announced the deaths of three National Guard personnel in two separate incidents in Sidi Bouzid in Tunisia's midwest.

Two agents were killed in an attack by an armed group at a security checkpoint, and the third was killed on his way to work.

Tunisia has seen a surge in radical Islam since former president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was ousted in 2011. Since then, security personnel have been the targets of jihadi attacks.