Deadly Attack on Tunisian Beach

At least 39 people, mostly foreigners, have been killed and 36 injured in an attack on a beach in the Tunisian resort town of Sousse.

Security officials said one attacker, who had posed as a swimmer but was carrying a rifle under a parasol, started shooting on the beach before entering an hotel continuing to shoot as he walked past the pool.

Although no-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, ISIL had called on its followers to increase attacks during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

This attack was the deadliest in Tunisia’s recent history, and follows a similar incident in March, when militants killed 22 people, mainly foreign tourists, in an attack on a museum in the capital Tunis.

Tunisia has seen militant Islamists gain strength since the overthrow of long-serving ruler Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, and despite it’s best efforts, the government has been unable to effectively combat Islamist violence, a violence made worse by the conflict in neighbouring Libya, and by Tunisian fighters returning home after going to join Islamist campaigns in Iraq and Syria.

• Pray for Tunisia at this time of grief and crisis.
• Pray for those who have lost loved ones in the shooting, that they will find comfort.
• Pray for Christians in Tunisia to reach out at this time with courage and compassion – that their witness will be a stark contrast to the violence of ISIL.
• Pray for the young men of Tunisia, especially those in disadvantages neighbourhoods where ISIL target their recruitment. Pray that they will come to know Christ, the true source of life.
• pray for protection for Christians and foreigners over Ramadan, as ISIL have vowed to increase their attacks.

Psalm 23 vs 4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me.”

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news