The mastermind of the Bardo museum attack in Tunisia has been killed. Yahoo/AP

Security camera footage from the attack. Yahoo/AFP.

The Tunisian government has decimated the leadership of the group responsible for the attack at the Bardo museum, including the mastermind of the attack. Yahoo/AP. Khaled Ben Hamadi Chaieb handled the operational side of the attack and was killed in a raid near the Algerian border. Chaieb and two of the other killed in the operation were Algerians. Chaieb was the leader of the Okba Itnou Nafaa Brigade. Although ISIS took credit for the attack it is unclear if the brigade actually has any connection to the group. Chaieb was a wanted man for an attack that killed 15 Tunisian soldiers. Thousands of Tunisians marched in support of the regime and stood against terrorism. 

My Comment:

Good to hear that the attackers in this case have been brought to justice. I would have preferred that they were taken alive but given the fact that they were hardened terrorists it is not surprising that they were not. I suppose that this group could have been falsely accused but that seems to be tinfoil hat/conspiracy theory territory. Of course, even if Chaieb wasn't the leader of the attack, he was still a bad person. There is no reason to suspect that he wasn't responsible for the attack. 

There seems to be confusion about ISIS being involved. ISIS took responsibility for the attack, though they have taken credit for attacks they had little to nothing to do with in the pass. There seems to be little evidence for ISIS involvement. The Okba Brigade has never declared alligence to ISIS and ISIS hasn't had much of a presence in Tunisia. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, active in Algeria and Mali, seems like a much stronger suspect for outside support. 

No matter who was responsible for the attack, it is clear that it accomplished its goals. Not only did it succeed in its goals in targeting westerners it damaged the government and economy of Tunisia. The attack was simple and easy to pull off but had a huge impact. Tunisia's tourism industry took a huge hit. It was also a huge blow to the credibility to the new Tunisian government, a blow softened by the swift justice the attackers received.