Fighting erupted on Tuesday between a Chadian opposition armed group and Haftar's militias backed by a French force, Chadian opposition sources say.
The Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) organization -former ally of Haftar- confirmed that the so-called Tariq Ibn Ziyad Brigade of Haftar attacked Tuesday morning - with the support of Sudanese assistants and under the supervision of special forces from the French army stationed in Libya - one of its sites on the Libyan-Chadian border.
The attacking forces included five French officers charged with firing mortars, Fact explains, saying that the special French squad aimed to arrest or kill the head of its Executive Council, Muhammad Ali al-Mahdi.
" The evil forces failed, and President Al-Mahdi is in a good state leading the fighting operations that are still underway...The attackers came from one route and fled in seven directions in a complete defeat," the statement read.
It also reported the killing of 11 fighters and the injury of ten others from Haftar's forces, noting that they were left on the battlefield.
FACT's forces seized an armored fighting vehicle and destroyed several others of Haftar's forces, according to the statement.
The force further confirmed that four of its fighters were killed during the attack, accusing France of violating and disrespecting Chad's sovereignty by imposing and supporting the anti-terror agreement, as well as violating the principle of the ceasefire declared last spring.
Meanwhile, Haftar's militias made no immediate statements on the clashes until it was revealed by the Chadian force.
Following FACT's statement, Haftar's militias declared the occurrence of fighting, claiming that its forces clashed with "terrorist cells" and their air force bombed Chadian opposition sites and terrorists.
