A group of militants attacked a National Guard border patrol near Tunisia's northwestern border with Algeria on Monday afternoon, killing one soldier and wounding four others, according to the Interior Ministry.

Sources said the exchanges of fire took place between the "group of terrorists" and the National Guard officers around 5:30 p.m. local time (0430 GMT) on Monday.

Sweeping and chasing operations are ongoing in order to arrest the perpetrators in the region.

Earlier on Monday morning, the Interior Ministry announced the deaths of three National Guard agents in two separate incidents in Sidi Bouzid, mid-west of Tunisia.

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

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