Tunis, May 25 (IANS): A mentally disturbed soldier on Monday opened fire in a military barracks in Tunisia, killing at least seven of his colleagues and wounding 10 others, TAP news agency reported.

Seven soldiers were killed and 10 others were injured, including one in a critical condition, said Belhassan Oueslati, spokesperson of the defence ministry, adding that the perpetrator, who had a history of psychiatric issues, was shot dead.

"It was an isolated incident," Xinhua news agency quoted Oueslati as saying in a press conference, denying that the attack was from outside.

The shooter, who had been moved to "a non-sensitive institution", was banned from carrying weapons following his "unstable condition", but he managed to take a weapon from a fellow soldier and opened fire on his colleagues during a flag-raising ceremony.

Tunisia has been battling suspected Islamist militants since March when two gunmen fired on tourists at the Bardo museum, killing 21 foreigners.

The site of Monday's shooting is not far away from the museum.