A patrol team of the Belgian Special Forces operating within the European Forces in Chad (EUFOR) has been attacked by Sudanese helicopters, parliamentary sources reported in Brussels Wednesday. The incident was disclosed during a debate at the Belgian Parliament by an MP who said Sudanese battle helicopters entered the Chadian territory where the Belgian troops were deployed as part of the EUFOR-Chad/CAR European military operation in Chad and the Central African Republic. After flying over the patrol team three times at a low altitude, the Sudanese helicopters finally launched rocket shots during a fourth overflight. No Belgian soldier was wounded, but two vehicles belonging to them were destroyed. Belgian defence minister, Pieter Decrem, will embark on a working visit to Chad next week, to investigate the attack in discussions with General Patrick Nash, Commander in chief of the EUFOR-Chad/CAR contingent whose mandate will end 15 March. Belgium has built two camps for the EUFOR, one in N’Djamena and the other in Abéché.
