State media in Chad say an attack on the presidential palace left 18 assailants dead and six in custody, with one soldier killed and three wounded.

Armed men tried to storm Chad's presidential palace when President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno was inside but 18 attackers and two soldiers were killed in the failed attack, the national prosecutor said Thursday.

Two dozen armed men tried to storm into Chad's presidential palace but 18 of the attackers and two soldiers were killed in the failed attack, the national prosecutor said Thursday.Heavy gunfire erupted near the presidential complex just before 8:00 pm local time (1900 GMT) on Wednesday in the centre of N'Djamena,

Gunmen launched an attack on the presidential complex in Chad's capital N'Djamena on Wednesday, sparking a battle that left 18 attackers and one security personnel member dead and several others

Two dozen assailants armed with weapons and machetes launched an assault on Chad's presidential palace which the government said was thwarted but the opposition cast doubt Thursday on the official account of events.