GOZ-BEIDA, Chad (Reuters) - Irish troops serving with a European military force in eastern Chad came under fire while monitoring fighting between the Chadian army and rebels on Saturday, and they returned "warning fire", an officer said.
"It is not clear who fired upon our troops ... There are noIrish casualties and all vehicles are operational," saidCommandant Gavin Young, a spokesman for the Irish forces inChad.
The exchange of fire occurred during an attack by a Chadianrebel column of up to 100 vehicles on the eastern town ofGoz-Beida, which is surrounded by United Nations-run campshousing tens of thousands of Sudanese and Chadian refugees.
The camps are being protected by an Irish infantrybattalion serving with the European Union protection force(EUFOR) that deployed in east Chad this year.
"At approximately 12.30 p.m. today an armoured Irish patrolreceived fire, in their general direction, as they weremonitoring a clash between Chadian army and rebel forces,"Young said in a statement made available to Reuters.
"Irish troops briefly returned warning fire from theirarmoured vehicles," he added.
It was believed to be the first time since their deploymentin the east that EUFOR troops had come under fire duringfighting involving Chadian rebels opposed to President IdrissDeby.
(Reporting by Finbarr O'Reilly; Writing by Pascal Fletcher;Editing by Tim Castle)
