- Local Name: كتيبة الفرقان
- Transliteration: Katibat el-Forqane
- Alternatives: Katibat al-Furqan
- Status: 2015 – 2015 (Defeated)
- Conflicts: Tunisian Islamist Militancy
The Brigade of the Criterion [KeF; Katibat el-Forqane] was a group of jihadis that was loyal to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant [DaIISh; Dawlat al-Islamiya fi-Iraq wal ash-Sham].1 It apparently operated under the command of the Libya-based Islamic State’s Sabratha Network [DaISN].2 Senior DaISN operative Jihad Chandoul reportedly guided the KeF’s militants.3
The Kef had dozens of members, including a number of jihadis who had fought in the ranks of the DaIISh and its affiliates in Libya and Syria.4 Other operatives of the KeF were former cadres of the Soldiers of Asad Ibn al-Furat [JAIF; Jund Asad Ibn al-Furat] which clashed with Tunisian security forces in late 2006 and early 2007.5 The KeF was based in and around the city of Sousse, but also had a presence in the governorates of Bizerte, Kairouan, Médenine and Monastir.6 Members of the outfit had developed links to smuggling networks on the Tunisian-Libyan border.7
The KeF was formed somewhere in 2015 with the goal of creating instability in Tunisia.8 It first emerged on Aug. 19, 2015 when its members opened fire at policemen who were waiting at a bus stop in the city of Sousse, killing one officer and injuring two colleagues.9 KeF militants were also responsible for the wounding of a member of parliament as they ambushed his car in Sousse on Oct. 08, 2015.10
The Tunisian authorities rolled up the KeF in a series of operations in November 2015.11 On Nov. 08, more than twenty members of the group were arrested in a series of raids in Sousse, Menzel Hayet, M’saken and Nasrallah. Security forces also seized weapons and explosives.12 Police arrested five KeF operatives in the town of Médenine on Nov. 26, 2015.13 These elements were apparently planning to assassinate unidentified public figures. A few days later, police apprehended three other cadres of the outfit and seized a sizeable arms cache during a raid in Akouda.14
Investigations revealed that the KeF was plotting further attacks against military and police facilities in eastern Tunisia. It also aimed to kill prominent politicians, businessmen and journalists.15 Plans to hit electric power plants, oil installations and tourist sites were also unearthed.16 The group’s cadres were seeking to rob banks to fund these operations.17
Following the KeF’s dismantlement, at least a few of its members traveled to Syria to fight in the ranks of the DaIISh.18 A Tunisian court started proceedings against operatives of the KeF in mid-January 2017.19
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