N'Djamena - Boko Haram fighters attacked a Chadian village overnight, killing several people in the first known lethal attack by the Islamist group in the country, local sources and a security source said.
"They came on board three canoes and succeeded in killing about ten people before being pushed back by the army," said a resident of the village of Ngouboua on the shores of Lake Chad.
The security source said that about 30 militants attacked the village at around 03:00, setting houses ablaze.
The attack left four civilians and one soldier dead, according to AFP and most of the village of Ngouboua had been torched before the jihadists were pushed back, a source said on condition of anonymity.
The attackers struck after crossing the lake from Baga, Nigeria to Ngouboua in Chad in large canoes.
Two-thirds of Ngouboua, where around 7 000 Nigerian refugees have sought refuge from the jihadists attacks, was torched in the onslaught.
Chadian military aircraft carried out airstrikes against the militants, destroying their vessels, the security source added.
Boko Haram has carried out several cross-border attacks on neighbours of Nigeria who have launched a regional operation to combat the group.
-AFP, Reuters