French Jets Hits Militant Convoy Crossing From Libya 

French fighter jets have carried out airstrikes in northern Chad in support of government troops, reports Reuters.

On Sunday, Mirage 2000 jets struck a convoy of 40 pickup trucks trying to infiltrate the country from Libya, said the French military on Monday. 

The French jets provided aid after a request from the Chadian government, the military said. 

The jets are based near N'Djamena, the Chadian capital, which is also the headquarters for France's Operation Barkhane counterterrorism force in the Sahel, noted France 24. 

The incoming column of fighters was spotted at least 48 hours before, a military spokesman told Agence France-Presse. 

The group traveled 250 miles (400 km) into Chad before being stopped "between Tibesti and Ennedi" in the northwest, the spokesman said. 

The Chadian air force conducted its own strikes before asking the French for support.

Official statements did not identify the group behind the incursion. The most active group in the area is the Military Command Council for the Salvation of the Republic (CCMSR), which says its goal is to overthrow the Chadian President Idriss Deby.