Irish troops say came under fire in Chad fighting

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 no Irish casualties and all vehicles are operational," said Commandant Gavin Young, a spokesman for the Irish forces in Chad.

The exchange of fire occurred during an attack by a Chadian rebel column of up to 100 vehicles on the eastern town of Goz-Beida, which is surrounded by United Nations-run camps housing tens of thousands of Sudanese and Chadian refugees.

The camps are being protected by an Irish infantry battalion 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 patrol received fire, in their general direction, as they were monitoring a clash between Chadian army and rebel forces," Young said in a statement made available to Reuters.

"Irish troops briefly returned warning fire from their armoured vehicles," he added.

It was believed to be the first time since their deployment in the east that EUFOR troops had come under fire during fighting involving Chadian rebels opposed to President Idriss Deby.

(Reporting by Finbarr O'Reilly; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Tim Castle)