Boko Haram carries out first known lethal attack in Chad - UN reports

Boko Haram fighters have carried out their first known lethal attack in Chad, the U.N. refugee agency said Friday, as the threat from the Nigeria-based Islamist militants spills over into neighboring nations. 

The fighters killed four civilians and a soldier in the predawn attack on the fishing village of Ngouboua on the shores of Lake Chad, according to residents and Chadian security sources.

The attack came hours after 21 people were killed in two separate attacks on Akida ‎and Mbuta villages near the northeast Nigerian city of Maiduguri, according to residents and a local community leader.

Adrian Edwards, spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland, that news had come in overnight of the attack on Ngouboua and details remained hazy.

"We are still getting information about how many people affected, we know that thousands of refugees were there," he said.

"The reports that we've received, the town was attacked by about 30 militants using boats, they attacked parts of the town itself, the 'chef de canton' himself was killed. We were in contact with a refugee during the attack but the phone line went dead. We are still trying to find out more about the situation there."

Mamadou Dian Balde, of the UNHCR in Chad, later told CNN that the chef de canton, or local leader, who was killed had been "a great champion of refugee protection."

Authorities have not yet confirmed the final death toll, he said. But reports from the ground indicate three-quarters of the village was torched by the attackers and many residents have fled to surrounding areas.

The village was peaceful and had generously taken in many refugees from the conflict in neighboring Nigeria, he added.

...CNN