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Explosion
heard very early Monday in the Dinguessou neighborhood of N'Djamena
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Two blasts rocked Chad's capital city, killing at least 11
people weeks after suicide bombings killed dozens, residents said Monday.
The first explosion was
heard very early Monday in the Dinguessou neighborhood of N'Djamena, and the
second came six minutes later, said resident Souleymane Brahim.
"There were two
explosions. The first came around 5:10 a.m. in the morning. It was followed by
gunfire. The second came around 5:16 a.m.," he said.
Several residents
confirmed that five police were among the at least 11 bodies counted after the
blasts.
Officials have not yet
commented on the attacks, and more details were not immediately available.
Associated Press report continues:
The blasts come weeks
after a double suicide bombing in the capital that killed at least 38 people
and wounded more than 100 others. The June 15 attack was the first of its kind
on N'Djamena and came after threats from the Nigeria-based Islamic extremist
group Boko Haram.
Chad's prosecutor on
Sunday announced that the June 15 blasts led to the arrests of 60 people from
Chad, Cameroon, Mali and Nigeria. Alghassim Khamis said an active terrorist
cell was identified and dismantled, leading to the seizure of
"communication materials" and the arrests.
There was no immediate
claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion quickly fell on Boko
Haram, the Islamic militant group based in neighboring Nigeria that has already
attacked Chadian villages along the lake dividing the two countries.
Chad has been a major
military ally with Nigeria in the fight against the insurgent group Boko Haram,
whose leader has publicly threatened the Chadian president with retaliation.
Three days after the
attack, Chad said it had launched an air assault on Boko Haram positions in
Nigeria near Chad. Nigeria's government said the attacks were more likely
launched in Niger.
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