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Chad bombs rebels near Sudan border

KHARTOUM - Chadian air force jets bombarded rebel positions in a region bordering Sudan and the Central African Republic, a rebel source said on Saturday.

The warplanes carried out the air strikes on Friday near the village of Tissi, said the senior official with the Union of Forces for Resistance (UFR) rebel group who requested anonymity.

The rebels responded by shooting at and hitting one of the aircraft, the official said, adding that: “We expect an intensification of the Chadian army’s operations.”

Most of the UFR rebels are based in Sudan’s Darfur region, with a force also in Chad.

Chad and Sudan agreed on Friday for the first time to set up a joint force on their troubled border which will be deployed on February 20.

Chad has accused Sudan of supporting rebels seeking to oust the government, while Khartoum has charged Ndjamena with backing ethnic minority rebels in the conflict-torn western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Improved ties between the two countries could help bring peace to Darfur, where about 300,000 people have died since ethnic rebels revolted in 2003.