Explosions, Gunfire in Chad, 11 Dead

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 haven't yet commented on the attacks, and more details weren't immediately available.

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.