Tunisian town once ‘Star Wars’ backdrop now a stop for ISIL

The name of the desert planet of Tatooine in the Star Wars universe was inspired by Tataouine, a Tunisian town.

The town that inspired the name of Luke Skywalker's home planet in the movie "Star Wars" has become a backdrop in Tunisia's struggle to prevent the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from gaining a foothold there, CNN reported March 24.

This struggling town on the fringes of the Sahara still draws a few fans of the movie but now finds itself part of a real conflict, as a way-station for jihadists crossing the Libyan border 60 miles to the east, according to the report.

Earlier this month, before the gun attack on the Bardo Museum in Tunis, three young men were arrested here as they allegedly made plans to cross into Libya to join a terrorist network. A local official told CNN they had since been taken to Tunis for questioning.

Two arms caches have also been found in the region this month, one of which included rocket-propelled grenade launchers and more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, thought to have been removed from a Libyan armory in the aftermath of Moammar Gadhafi’s ouster in 2011.

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