Irish troops report 211 clashes with Chad rebels

IRISH troops have had more than 200 encounters with armed bandits and have come under fire while defending refugee camps in Chad, the mid-term review of the mission to the embattled African state has been told.

The Irish-led EU peacekeeping mission to Chad is under discussion in Brussels, with a review of the first few months of the operation, including last month’s attack on troops and aid workers.

Lt Gen Pat Nash, the operations commander of the EU’s largest such undertaking to date, has been giving his report on the mission, which is a bridging operation until the UN can take over in March next year.