Tunisian security forces killed five "terrorists" in clashes in the Ben Guerdane district near the Libyan border on Wednesday evening, the defence ministry said.

"Five terrorists holed up in a house in El Aouija (10 kilometres -- six miles -- outside Ben Guerdane) were killed by troops and police," ministry spokesman Belhassen Oueslati told AFP, adding that five Kalashnikov assault rifles had been recovered.

An interior ministry statement said that in recent days "terrorist groups" had entered Tunisia from Libya.